Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The cafeteria entrance was pretty empty too. Wen Hui, who had just caught up, saw Meng Shijiu stop in his tracks.

He followed Meng Shijiu’s lingering look but only caught a glimpse of a figure quickly disappearing from behind.

His brown eyes were calm. His gaze settled thoughtfully on Meng Shijiu’s face. "A friend?"

See struggled in Wen Hui’s hold for a moment, then, taking advantage of his distraction, managed to jump onto Meng Shijiu’s shoulder and settle down.

Its tail coiled up like a soft black silk scarf, affectionately wrapping around Meng Shijiu’s neck.

The furry tail brushed his neck, making Meng Shijiu instinctively hunch his shoulders slightly. He narrowed his eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. "My brother."

Wen Hui’s gaze lingered on his movements.

—When Meng Shijiu made such subtle movements, there was always a restrained, almost stiff quality to them. Yet, beneath the high-tied silver ponytail, this face was arrestingly dazzling and radiant.

This contradictory coexistence of delicacy and rawness suddenly reminded Wen Hui of one of those intricately designed, antique mecha preserved in a museum.

It was as if beneath the silver-haired alpha’s pale neck, metal joints were hidden there too, just waiting for a gentle twist to make the gears click into place.

His fingertips gave an unconscious twitch.

Perched on Meng Shijiu’s shoulder, See understood. Looking in the direction Yue Xuanli had gone, the tip of its tail lightly brushed Meng Shijiu’s earlobe. "What’s wrong with him?"

Meng Shijiu: "Dunno."

Meng Shijiu replayed the previous night in his mind.

Last night after the match, he’d met up with Yue Xuanli. They’d had dinner together, and he hadn't seen him after that. They’d even wished each other goodnight before turning in. Everything seemed normal.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria, but faint, scattered gazes still found their way to the two of them.

Compared to the murky, clinging, and seemingly cautious gazes from St. Mary’s that fell upon Meng Shijiu, these gazes were much more direct.

Several trainees from the Combat Department immediately recognized the silver-haired alpha standing beside Coach Wen Hui—it was the No. 32 who’d made a name for himself on the field last night.

The Blue Team members who had clamored loudly for No. 32 to come out after last night’s match were now all quiet, sharing a silent understanding, their faces alight with curiosity.

If eyes could speak, Meng Shijiu would probably be deafened by the noise.

Meng Shijiu started to head inside.

Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly felt a restrained touch land on his shoulder.

Through a layer of fabric, the tip of Wen Hui’s finger pressed lightly against his shoulder blade, the force just enough to halt his movement.

Wen Hui: "Let's go to the second floor."

Of Yanbei Zone 16's two cafeterias, the second floor was reserved for coaches. The metal escalator let out a low hum beneath their feet, carrying the two upwards.

There were very few people on the second floor; it was quiet.

Sunlight streamed in, bathing the window seats. A sleek silver service robot slid to the table's edge, its display screen lighting up with a polite blue glow.

Meng Shijiu lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, raising an eyebrow. "Your treat?"

Wen Hui didn’t answer right away. He lowered his gaze, adjusting the ordering interface, then gestured for Meng Shijiu to order. "Sure."

The moment he agreed, Meng Shijiu unceremoniously tapped on the light screen, even asking See what it wanted to eat, getting some for it as well.

The robot soon delivered the meal.

The second floor fell into a comfortable silence.

Morning sunlight slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spreading across the tabletop, elongating the shadows of the cups.

Occasional faint clinks of cutlery came from the distance, only accentuating the tranquility of this corner.

Wen Hui sat opposite Meng Shijiu. He had already eaten and didn’t order anything. His gaze shifted from the quietly eating man and cat, looking out the window.

—The weather in Yanbei was usually neither overcast nor sunny, but today was exceptionally brilliant, like a piece of silk soaked in sunlight, suddenly shaking off years of dust.

From this angle, you could also just make out the large screen in the central square. The two conspicuous "Meng Shijiu" characters had already been removed.

They didn't talk.

Time seemed to stretch, becoming as slow and gentle as the mist rising from the cup.

Until Wen Hui suddenly spoke.

"—Did you have fun yesterday?"

Meng Shijiu glanced at him twice, leaning back a little, cautiously pointing out, "That doesn't sound like a very friendly inquiry."

Wen Hui: ...

Meng Shijiu smirked. "What, did I make more work for you?"

Wen Hui shook his head.

He gave a slight shake of his head, making the light and shadow from the window sway gently on the table.

Seeing he had nothing else to add, Meng Shijiu took the last sip of milk from his cup and took the initiative. "Did you need something from me?"

Wen Hui: "No."

Meng Shijiu: "?"

Wen Hui said unhurriedly, "I already told you. The cat's heavy. I'm helping you carry it."

See: "?"

Meng Shijiu playfully mimicked his unhurried tone. "Instructor Wen, I didn't see this soft side of you when you were punishing me."

Wen Hui looked at him for a few seconds.

Meng Shijiu didn’t avoid this gaze.

Wen Hui sat with his back to the light. From Meng Shijiu’s angle, he could clearly see a hint of autumn reflected in his brown eyes.

The eye contact held for an unusually long moment. See fidgeted restlessly, its paws suddenly hooking onto Meng Shijiu’s cufflink. The light glinting off the metal danced in the air between them.

The scattered light shimmered slightly.

Wen Hui finally lowered his eyelashes, casting a small shadow under his eyes, like a leaf quietly falling by an autumn pond.

"I was already being very soft-hearted," he said.

He reached out and handed Meng Shijiu a card, its pure white surface glinting in the morning light. "Eat here from now on. It's quieter."

Meng Shijiu didn't accept it. He looked at Wen Hui and spoke again, this time with certainty. "You have business with me."

Wen Hui's fingers paused for a moment at the edge of the card, and he did not deny it again.

His voice remained steady when he spoke. "Yes."

Yet this simple reply carried an inexplicable hint of hesitation.

It was strange—he exuded an aura of complete ease, yet now it was as if he were tripped up by something intangible, making even an admission seem less than straightforward.

"Let's talk next time." He stood up, pressing the meal card onto the table. "I'll be going now."

Watching Wen Hui's back as he suddenly left, See asked in confusion, "What does he actually want?"

Meng Shijiu played dumb. "What do you mean, 'what'?"

See: "I mean, following you for no reason, then offering to treat you to a meal, and even giving you a meal card."

Meng Shijiu: "Maybe he wasn't lying."

See: "?"

Meng Shijiu: "He probably just thought it was too heavy and wanted to help me."

See: "..."

See worriedly said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Meng Shijiu leisurely tapped his spoon against the bowl. "This is breakfast."

See knew him all too well. "...Fine, don't tell me then."

Meng Shijiu smiled.

—

On the way back to the dormitory, Meng Shijiu had just rounded a flower bed when, nearing the dorm, he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.

The tall Alpha's black hair was slightly tousled by the wind, but it couldn't hide those cold, knife-like emerald green eyes. From this angle, half of his profile was visible.

His expression was cold and somber as he stood quietly in place, holding a shopping bag that seemed somewhat at odds with his usual demeanor.

—It was Yue Xuanli.

He was waiting for Meng Shijiu downstairs at the dormitory.

Seeing him from afar, See was puzzled. "Could it be that he really didn't see you in the cafeteria earlier?"

Before Meng Shijiu could answer, as if sensing something, the black-haired Alpha waiting downstairs suddenly turned toward Meng Shijiu's direction.

Meng Shijiu paused slightly. "Let's test it and find out."

The silver-haired Alpha, who was nearing the dorm, suddenly stopped in his tracks, locking eyes with Yue Xuanli from a distance.

It was a rather blunt test, but its effectiveness lay in its suddenness—most of the time, it worked.

—If there really was a problem, Yue Xuanli probably wouldn't walk over but would continue waiting downstairs.

The next moment, Meng Shijiu was slightly taken aback.

At the other end of his gaze, the black-haired Alpha, upon seeing him, strode forward without the slightest hesitation, closing the distance without pause.

In just a few seconds, Yue Xuanli was standing right in front of Meng Shijiu.

This immediate reaction drew a short, soft hum from the silver-haired Alpha's throat, followed by an involuntary narrowing of his eyes.

—Could it really be that he had overthought it? Maybe in the cafeteria, Yue Xuanli wasn't ignoring him—maybe he genuinely hadn't seen him?

Something felt off to him. He carefully reconsidered the situation but still couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong.

Meng Shijiu gave a lazy nod toward the black-haired Alpha. "Morning."

Yue Xuanli handed him the pomegranate juice he was holding, responding softly, "Morning."

"—Did you see me in the cafeteria just now?" Meng Shijiu asked directly as he took the juice.

His hand hadn't yet touched the cup when their fingertips brushed inadvertently above its surface. In that instant, Yue Xuanli's hand jerked back as if shocked by an electric current.

Meng Shijiu clearly saw the other's slender fingers stiffen mid-air for a moment before deliberately slowing their retreat—that near-instinctive stress response was forcibly suppressed, yet its traces lingered palpably in the air.

Meng Shijiu was momentarily stunned, his intended grasp on the cup delayed by a fraction of a second.

The cup immediately began to slip downward.

"—Hold it steady."

The hand that had withdrawn suddenly pressed forward again, almost forcefully pushing the pomegranate juice into Meng Shijiu's palm.

Meng Shijiu instinctively closed his fingers. The cool surface of the cup met his palm, firmly held between their overlapping hands.

Meng Shijiu looked up.

"..."

This eye contact came too late and too abruptly. Only a few dozen seconds had passed, yet he could no longer remember exactly when Yue Xuanli had started staring into his eyes.

Probably from the moment Yue Xuanli saw him downstairs at the dormitory, his gaze hadn't wavered.

The intensity and aggression Yue Xuanli revealed in that instant felt almost unfamiliar to Meng Shijiu.

Perhaps it was because Yue Xuanli had always been so gentle in front of him that Meng Shijiu had forgotten—this was a lone wolf.

He didn't need Yue Xuanli to answer anymore. Meng Shijiu already knew.

Meng Shijiu asked softly, "What's wrong with you?"

Yue Xuanli didn't answer, his gaze heavy as he looked at him.

Those emerald green eyes had always indulged the shimmering jade hue in Meng Shijiu's own, so much so that Meng Shijiu could usually understand his meaning with just a glance. But now, it was as if a window had been installed, one that had closed to him at some unknown time.

Meng Shijiu suddenly couldn't read him, couldn't see through what lay hidden behind.

He could only offer a faint smile, a ripple of helpless clarity disturbing the jade-green lake of his eyes.

"Don't go mute on me, Yue Xuanli. A certain famous person once said, 'If you don't erupt in silence, you'll perish in it.'①"

Yue Xuanli raised his hand, his thumb gently wiping away a trace of milk left at the corner of Meng Shijiu's lips. He pressed lightly, lingered for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand.

He withdrew his hand, only to realize he had wiped for nothing—it wasn't clean.

He raised his hand again, brushing against Meng Shijiu's lips to rub away the last trace of the mark.

Even after it was gone, his movements suddenly turned rough. His fingertips scraped heavily over that porcelain-white skin, nearly grazing the rosy hue several times, almost brutal, as if only this could vent a fraction of his pent-up emotions.

"I'm sorry," his voice was hoarse.

Just as Meng Shijiu was about to reply "It's okay," he was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. Yue Xuanli's arms tightened like iron bands, pressing him firmly against his chest.

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

He kept repeating the apology, yet held the person in his arms tighter and tighter.

He kept sinking deeper into this embrace, ceaselessly indulging in the uncontrollable desires that were sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain.

How long had he lasted?

Only two glances.

The first glance in the cafeteria—how could he restrain himself from turning away? The second glance at the dormitory entrance—how could he suppress himself to stay clear-headed?