Chapter 14

Chapter 14

This body had a good foundation, but it hadn't been exercised for years.

Considering the condition of his knees, Shen Siqin simply followed Lin Shengjin, jogging quietly for three laps.

After three laps, he sat on a swing in the fitness equipment area to rest and wait for Lin Shengjin to finish.

A small green cloth bag containing mooncakes was tied to the iron chain of the swing, within Shen Siqin's reach.

Shen Siqin took deep breaths rhythmically, his gaze following Lin Shengjin as he continued running on the track.

Four laps.

Lin Shengjin's breathing remained steady, and his movements were fluid. The muscles under his long sleeves and pants rippled slightly with each stride.

Five laps.

Lin Shengjin's speed didn't decrease, and his breathing stayed even.

Six laps.

Shen Siqin leaned his head against the iron chain of the swing, watching Lin Shengjin run with an appreciative gaze.

...

Ten laps?

Shen Siqin thought that surely he would stop now; after all, that's four kilometers.

Eleven laps??

Well, now Shen Siqin knew that Lin Shengjin wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

After twenty full laps, Lin Shengjin finally slowed down to a walk to regulate his body.

Shen Siqin held onto the iron chains of the swing, thinking that no wonder his brother looked at him like that yesterday when he joked about not being able to force them to feel reassured.

Now it was clear—the difference in their stamina was significant!

At least in terms of endurance.

Shen Siqin kicked his long legs, causing the swing to sway gently. He sat there, swaying in the breeze.

Yes, let the wind cool him down and calm his thoughts.

Lin Shengjin wasn't blind. If Shen Siqin only watched him run one or two laps, Lin Shengjin might have considered it a coincidence.

But this guy kept staring at him; it would be strange if he didn't notice!

Usually, he ran around ten laps in the morning.

Today, he ran twenty laps!

Hmph, a guy who only ran three laps.

When Lin Shengjin reached the fitness equipment area, he tilted his head slightly, deliberately avoiding looking at Shen Siqin, and slowed his pace as he walked past.

Shen Siqin: "......"

He seemed like a cat with its tail up, proudly patrolling its territory.

It made him want to reach out and pet him.

Unfortunately, not right now.

Lin Shengjin walked another two laps before stopping.

He went to the stands, found his backpack, and took out a towel to wipe his sweat.

Halfway through, he heard familiar footsteps.

Lin Shengjin casually draped the towel over his neck and turned around, indeed seeing Shen Siqin.

"Why are you following me?" Lin Shengjin asked directly, tired of guessing.

Watching him run all morning couldn't possibly be about attracting customers.

Lin Shengjin recalled the taste of yesterday's lunch.

Given Shen Siqin's cooking skills, he didn't need to attract customers.

Word of mouth would be enough.

Shen Siqin didn't deny following him, but as for the real reason...

If he said it out loud, he feared it might scare Lin Shengjin away.

So he just blinked his innocent almond eyes and said, "Guess?"

Lin Shengjin: "???"

"I'm not guessing." Lin Shengjin felt that initiating conversation with him was a mistake, a waste of time.

He quickly packed his things and turned to leave.

Shen Siqin took out the mooncake box from the bag.

"Sure, no need to guess. I'm really here to work out today, and also to give you this." Shen Siqin placed the mooncake box in front of Lin Shengjin.

Lin Shengjin looked puzzled. "It's not even Mid-Autumn Festival yet."

No, even if it were Mid-Autumn Festival, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to exchange mooncakes.

"Breakfast. Your lips are pale. Did you come running without eating?"

Of course, it's not good to engage in intense exercise right after breakfast either.

So many people do their morning exercises before breakfast.

But Lin Shengjin looks like he might be having a hypoglycemic episode.

Lin Shengjin subconsciously raised his hand to touch his lips.

Realizing his action was odd, he quickly withdrew it.

"I don't want it. No free lunch."

Today, he's being a bit stubborn.

He didn't feel it at first, but now that Shen Siqin mentioned it, he really does feel dizzy.

Is it psychological or is it really a hypoglycemic episode?

Shen Siqin, with his jinxed mouth!

Seeing Lin Shengjin's complexion getting worse, Shen Siqin opened the mooncake box, revealing neatly arranged golden, crispy cookies in front of Lin Shengjin.

Shen Siqin did not answer Lin Shengjin's previous question.

Although Lin Shengjin is Mr. Wen's junior and Changxiang's elder brother, according to the book, because their work and life spheres don't overlap, they are more like acquaintances who help each other when needed, only contacting during the holidays otherwise.

Lin Shengjin's question isn't out of stubbornness; it's more like he's indirectly asking why Shen Siqin is following him.

"Have one. They're very sweet."

Shen Siqin said with a hint of provocation, "Are you avoiding me by risking your health? Am I that important to you?"

Hearing Shen Siqin say this, Lin Shengjin weakly glared at him.

He reached into the tin box and took out a cookie.

The fragrant, crispy cookie tasted sweet but not overly so, just right.

These seemed to be freshly baked cookies.

He savored the small cookie, taking several bites to finish it.

"You don't hate me, do you?" Shen Siqin tilted his head to look at him.

"Cough, cough, cough." Lin Shengjin almost choked on Shen Siqin's words, barely managing to recover, "What?"

Where did he get that conclusion from?

"My reputation in this school isn't good. You didn't run away when you saw me; you even talked to me."

Of course, he doesn't hate me.

Lin Shengjin: "..."

Right, why didn't I avoid him?

He lowered his eyes and thought for a while before struggling to find a reason: "Because many people have only heard of you but don't know what you look like."

Last time, there were plenty of onlookers, but those who had actually seen Shen Siqin were few in all of Beizhi University.

"Oh, I see." Shen Siqin sighed deeply. "I must have misunderstood."

Lin Shengjin inexplicably felt relieved.

Taking advantage of the moment, Shen Siqin swiftly shoved the mooncake box into Lin Shengjin's hands.

And added a bottle of fresh milk as well.

Just eating cookies would be too dry.

"Come over for lunch. I promise there'll be a surprise." Before Lin Shengjin could protest, Shen Siqin ran off with his green shoulder bag.

Lin Shengjin: "..."

Lin Shengjin looked at the mooncake box and fresh milk in his hands, then glanced at Shen Siqin, who had already run out of sight.

A strange, undeniable, faint joy and helplessness lingered in his heart.

※※※※※※

The future was still bright.

At the very least, he could now be certain that Lin Shengjin didn't dislike him at all!

This was a good start.

The situation was looking promising, and Shen Siqin felt that he should turn over a new leaf as this lazy fish.

Shen Siqin did not go straight back to the convenience store but instead headed to the large market three streets away from the north gate of Beizhi University.

He felt that this casual business idea of his really needed to get off the ground.

At the very least, he needed to show his brother that he was serious.

Recalling how his brother had cried so messily yesterday, Shen Siqin quickly shook his head to dispel that image!

Since this business wasn't a one-off deal,

he needed to prepare some things.

For example, a large rice cooker, an egg beater or an electric drill, a second iron pot and a clay pot... and a mobile food cart.

Preferably one made of transparent plastic, similar to those used for selling duck meat. Running around narrow corridors with a cart full of food was inconvenient, and Shen Siqin didn't want to keep his kitchen and bedroom doors open all the time.

That food cart was necessary.

If he couldn't find a carpenter to make one, a similar cart would do.

Lazy Shen Siqin and slightly motivated Shen Siqin were two different people.

He lazily entered the wholesale market.

After a fierce round of bargaining, he spent less than a hundred dollars and came out empty-handed.

Because after his haggling, the kitchenware shop owner agreed to deliver everything to his door, including the other items, by noon.

"Ah, what a pity."

Apart from the fact that a few shop owners were too easy to bargain with, leaving him unsatisfied, there was another thing that bothered him: he really needed to have the cart custom-made. He had set the dimensions and materials today, paid a deposit, and would have to wait a few days to get it.

Shen Siqin hummed an out-of-tune tune and turned into the vegetable market.

Another round of battle!