Chapter 18 Guessing Your Taste

Chapter 18: Reading Your Taste

Bai Yingchuan turned sideways, about to step away from the girls, when someone had already appeared behind Jiang Ruotang. With an effortless stretch of their arm, they easily slid the racket into its holder.

Jiang Ruotang went rigid—because the other person’s palm was covering his fingertips. He didn’t even need to turn around; the familiar sensation alone told him it was Lu Guifan.

“Where’s the racket tube?” Lu Guifan’s voice sounded.

Jiang Ruotang immediately handed him the tube, and Lu Guifan effortlessly placed it inside.

“I suddenly feel so short,” Jiang Ruotang joked.

Lu Guifan replied calmly, “Work out more—you might hit 178 by graduation.”

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes lit up as he followed him. “How did you know I’d reach 178?”

That had indeed been his final height in his past life.

“Just a guess.”

Jiang Ruotang asked again, “But, Class President, why did you come?”

Lu Guifan answered, “I thought your old habits were acting up.”

“Huh? What old habits?”

“Love-struck, acting entitled, thinking with your hormones.”

Jiang Ruotang looked utterly confused. After thinking for a while, he glanced back at Bai Yingchuan, who was now some distance away. Though Bai Yingchuan was smiling, his gaze was cold.

“Class President, you… you thought I was going to Bai Yingchuan? Why would I get involved in that?” Jiang Ruotang whispered.

Lu Guifan didn’t turn back, walking steadily up the stairs to the classroom. “Wipe off your sweat—you’ll catch a chill.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Ruotang’s school days had never involved this much exercise in one day. He went to the restroom to change into a clean shirt. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Zhao Zhangfeng yanking at his sweat-drenched shirt—the collar was stuck under his chin as he tugged at it with brute force.

He got a mischievous idea. Standing behind Zhao Zhangfeng, he lightly hooked his fingers onto the back of the shirt collar. Zhao Zhangfeng, predictably, used all his strength to tug.

Wow, this guy’s muscles were seriously well-defined—not bulky or exaggerated, but sleek, firm, and full of youthful vitality. The moment his shoulders tensed, he radiated raw energy.

Even if this kid flunked out of basketball, he could always model instead and still make a living…

But if he truly wanted to be an athlete, he had to go all in—no backup plans.

“Who? Who’s pulling my collar?” Zhao Zhangfeng demanded.

Oh? Finally figured it out?

Jiang Ruotang quickly slipped out of the restroom and dashed back to his seat, acting innocent.

A few dozen seconds later, Zhao Zhangfeng marched in and slumped into his seat, fuming. He was definitely still wondering who had tugged at his collar.

The bell had rung ages ago, but Lin Lu still hadn’t seen Bai Yingchuan. He went to the equipment room and found Bai Yingchuan chatting with classmates. Bai Yingchuan shot him a desperate look, so Lin Lu had no choice but to drag him out for lunch.

On the way back to the classroom, Lin Lu could faintly hear the gossip trailing behind him.

“Don’t you think Lin Lu is weird? He used to be glued to Jiang Ruotang’s side all the time, but now that Bai Yingchuan’s here, he’s glued to him instead.”

“Right! Last year, when Jiang Ruotang was obsessively simping for Bai Yingchuan, I remember how Lin Lu coaxed him—saying stuff like, ‘Bai Yingchuan is so lucky to have a ride-or-die fan like you,’ ‘Without your help, he probably would’ve flopped on the charts,’ ‘If I were Bai Yingchuan, I’d be so grateful for your support…’”

“I remember that too! Back then, I thought Lin Lu was just spoiling Jiang Ruotang, but now it seems like he’s the one hogging Bai Yingchuan all to himself!”

“Exactly! We’re all classmates, but the moment we try to talk to Bai Yingchuan, Lin Lu materializes like some overprotective agent!”

“Hahaha, guess he went from being Jiang Ruotang’s ‘gofer’ to Bai Yingchuan’s manager!”

……

Listening to this, Lin Lu’s ears burned.

If this had been last semester, Jiang Ruotang would’ve already charged over and scared off Bai Yingchuan’s hangers-on—Lin Lu wouldn’t have had to play the villain.

But now, Jiang Ruotang seemed to be pulling away on purpose.

At lunchtime, Jiang Ruotang went to pick up his takeout and also grabbed the milk tea he’d promised Jian Sha.

When Jian Sha returned from heating her lunch in the microwave room, she spotted the sugar-free milk tea on her desk and immediately tipped it at him in thanks. “Thanks!”

“So, you’ll partner up for badminton next gym class?” Jiang Ruotang teased.

“Free milk tea? I’m yours—just worried Wang Fuzi might think we’re dating!” Jian Sha laughed heartily. This girl had a talent for turning every guy into a platonic buddy.

“Perfect! Let’s hold hands and rub our ‘relationship’ in his face!”

As he spoke, Jiang Ruotang carried a lunch bag to Lu Guifan’s desk. His own meal was simple—braised tofu and scrambled eggs with green peppers—but the aroma was tempting. Jiang Ruotang placed a paper cup on Lu Guifan’s desk.

“Thanks for setting me up for easy shots, Class President! Please keep doing it next week!”

Lu Guifan glanced at the cup, hesitated, but still replied, “Thank you.”

He didn’t like milk tea—to him, it was a muddled drink. The milk diluted the tea, and the tea’s freshness was muddled by the overly sweet milk.

But in over two years of high school, this was one of the few times anyone had bothered to treat him. Even if he didn’t like it, he had to respect Jiang Ruotang’s kindness.

Jiang Ruotang, as if reading his mind, gave an easy smile.

“Try it. Let’s see if I guessed your taste right.”

Since Jiang Ruotang insisted, Lu Guifan inserted the straw and took a sip.

Hm? Not milk tea.

A floral, osmanthus-like (a fragrant Asian flower) finish—clean and pure.

Turning the cup, he saw the label: Jin Xuan Oolong.

This was the first time in this school that someone had cared about his preferences—and the first time someone had guessed them correctly.

Jiang Ruotang returned to his seat with his eel rice, deliberately shot a pointed look at Zhao Zhangfeng with a pitying expression. “You jocks really have it rough with body fat control… No way I’d touch that stuff.”

Zhao Zhangfeng glanced at Jiang Ruotang’s generous portion of eel rice and smirked. “You’re a couch potato—what’s your excuse? Eating that many calories, you’ll sport a gut by next week.”

Ouch—Zhao Zhangfeng went straight for the jugular.

“If I get a belly, at least it’ll be a happy one.”

With that, Jiang Ruotang picked up a thick slice of eel and took a showy, oversized bite right in front of Zhao Zhangfeng.

Sitting nearby, Lin Lu once again clearly felt the distance between Jiang Ruotang and himself. If it were last semester, Jiang Ruotang would've bought milk tea even for unfamiliar classmates like Jian Sha and Lu Guifan—he wouldn’t have skipped me.

Was it because he hadn’t played badminton with him? But he had never liked sports in the first place.

"Ruo Tang, where’s mine?" Lin Lu pouted, looking at Jiang Ruotang with a pleading expression.

Jiang Ruotang smiled. "Little Deer, you’ve gained weight. You should skip the milk tea—have some Yakult with me instead!"

With that, he fished out a small plastic bottle from his drawer and placed it on Lin Lu’s desk.

"I haven’t gained weight! Isn’t this for kids?" Lin Lu turned his face away.

Now was when Jiang Ruotang should’ve caved and ordered him milk tea.

But to his surprise, Jiang Ruotang wasn’t about to indulge him. "Huh? If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it then."

He reached to take the Yakult back.

Just then, another hand reached over, his fingers overlapping Jiang Ruotang’s.

Bai Yingchuan leaned in slightly, his lips curving into an easy, sunlit smile. "Mind if I try it?"

"Ah?" Jiang Ruotang froze. He tried to pull his hand back, but Bai Yingchuan’s grip was firm. "Then… it’s yours…"

"Ying Chuan, are you just curious because you’ve never had Yakult before? It’s super sweet." Lin Lu remembered Bai Yingchuan didn’t like sweet things.

"Back on set, Director Jiang gave us some. It was pretty good."

Bai Yingchuan glanced at Jiang Ruotang, mentioning Director Jiang. He expected Jiang Ruotang to say something, but instead, he kept his head down, shoveling food.

After finishing his meal, Jiang Ruotang carried his lunchbox to the large trash bin at the end of the hallway.

The moment he tossed it in and turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin—he almost lost his lunch!

Bai Yingchuan was standing right there.

"Do you walk without making any sound?" Jiang Ruotang let out a shaky breath and tried to sidestep him, but Bai Yingchuan suddenly grabbed his forearm.

Jiang Ruotang looked up. Backlit, Bai Yingchuan’s lips held a faint smile, but his eyes carried an unreadable shadow.

"Jiang Ruotang, it seems like you’ve been avoiding me."

"Huh?" Jiang Ruotang was stunned.

To him, he had always been invisible to Bai Yingchuan. He made sure not to get in his way—how was that avoidance?

People were so exhausting. Get too close, and you’re annoying; keep your distance, and people take offense…

No wonder those ambiguous, hot-and-cold tension dynamics in dramas were always the most captivating.

Jiang Ruotang tried to pull his arm back, but Bai Yingchuan’s grip was surprisingly strong.

"I just didn’t want to bother you like everyone else does."

"Oh?" Bai Yingchuan tilted his head slightly, his gaze half-skeptical, half-teasing. "On my first day transferring here, everyone stared at me with shock and curiosity—except you. You glanced down with a smirk. I’ve always wondered… what were you mocking?"

Jiang Ruotang went rigid.

He had always assumed Bai Yingchuan’s sharp perception of others developed later in life. Turns out he’d always been this sharp?

"That morning, everyone was rushing to finish their summer homework—except you. I was just laughing at myself. Compared to you, I’m just a summer homework drone…"

Bai Yingchuan lowered his eyes and asked softly, "Really?"

His voice dripped like a scripted line, laced with an emotional pull. If you lied, guilt would creep in, and Bai Yingchuan would catch you wavering.