Chapter 49: Walk Side by Side with Me

Chapter 49 Walking Beside Me

Su Zhiyu's footsteps faltered.

Jiang Yizhou beside him also stopped, a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

He turned to face Su Zhiyu, smiling as he said:

"Zhi Yu, we're friends now after these past few days, right? I used to think you liked Brother Qin, but then I started thinking that wasn't quite it either, and now I'm not so sure."

Su Zhiyu said nothing, quietly listening as he continued.

"But whether or not you like Brother Qin, I want to tell you this—when it comes to feelings, it's first come, first served."

Su Zhiyu raised his eyes.

Jiang Yizhou went on: "I've told you before, I met Brother Qin two years ago. We've definitely known each other longer than you have. Back then, Brother Qin was still in college, and I already liked him.

So I'm the one who met him first. I don't want to scheme against you, and you shouldn't play games with me either. I met him first, so..."

"It was me."

Su Zhiyu said those two words calmly.

"What?" Jiang Yizhou didn't catch what those abrupt words meant at first. He asked, "What's you?"

Su Zhiyu met Jiang Yizhou's gaze, neither backing down.

"The one who met him first was me."

"?"

Jiang Yizhou was stunned.

Su Zhiyu's expression didn't change. He observed Jiang Yizhou's shock as if he were an outsider, then said, almost to himself:

"I met him on the very first day of high school."

Those words hit Jiang Yizhou like a thunderclap.

He had just tried to use "first come, first served" to talk Su Zhiyu out of it, only to find out he was the latecomer himself. Su Zhiyu had known Brother Qin for that long?

"Su—"

Jiang Yizhou urgently wanted to ask for more details, only to realize Su Zhiyu had already walked off, his figure thin and aloof.

There was no smugness, no use of this fact to argue back.

Jiang Yizhou stood frozen in place, gritted his teeth, then hurried after him: "Su Zhiyu, wait for me!"

Su Zhiyu didn't stop walking: "Is there something else?"

"Yes!" Jiang Yizhou's face turned red as he insisted, "Even though you knew Brother Qin first, I'm still not giving up. I'll compete with you fairly—we'll each do our best."

Compete? For Qin Yan?

Su Zhiyu clenched his hand with a self-deprecating thought. He was just someone with nothing, barely able to take care of himself—what right did he have to hope for anything more?

He shouldn't have been so impulsive, shouldn't have revealed that he and Qin Yan had known each other long ago.

Clearly...

He clearly wanted to keep his distance from Qin Yan. What had he even said?

Jiang Yizhou stared at Su Zhiyu's changing expression, carefully choosing his words: "Don't look at me like I'm picking on you. When it comes to feelings, it should still be fair game."

Su Zhiyu glanced at Jiang Yizhou and quickly said: "I have things to do, I'm heading back first."

It was almost like fleeing.

Leaving Jiang Yizhou standing there confused, wondering what was wrong with asking for a fair competition.

...

For the first time, Su Zhiyu took the initiative to get into the Qin family's car before Qin Yan.

The driver glanced outside, confused: "Mr. Su, where's the young master?"

Su Zhiyu quickly looked away, steadying his voice before answering: "He's still on his way."

"Oh, alright."

The driver was curious why Mr. Su had arrived before the young master, but he didn't ask—maybe the young master had arranged it.

Ten minutes later.

Qin Yan arrived late. When he pulled open the car door and saw Su Zhiyu already inside, he wasn't surprised: "Jiang Yizhou said you left early. Sure enough, you're here. Good boy."

Jiang Yizhou...

Hearing Jiang Yizhou's name from Qin Yan's lips, Su Zhiyu couldn't help but think back to their earlier conversation and the determination in Jiang Yizhou's eyes.

He really liked Qin Yan. So had he just gone to talk to Qin Yan?

Qin Yan closed the car door and casually handed Su Zhiyu a warm bottle of milk: "Here, it's warm. Have some."

Su Zhiyu took it silently, then muttered: "Did he give that to you?"

"What?"

Qin Yan whipped his head around, not quite hearing that.

Su Zhiyu pressed his lips together and turned to look out the window, his voice barely a whisper: "Nothing."

He didn't want to say, but Qin Yan wasn't going to let it go.

Qin Yan moved over on his own, trapping Su Zhiyu against the door, and lowered his head to meet Su Zhiyu's evasive gaze, asking softly: "Why are you unhappy?"

"!"

Su Zhiyu tried to avoid Qin Yan's close breath, clutching the milk bottle tightly against the car door.

Qin Yan's long lashes fluttered as he noticed the dented corner of the milk bottle in Su Zhiyu's hand, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips: "Is it because of the milk?"

"No."

Su Zhiyu denied it quietly.

Qin Yan got it—so it was all because of this bottle of milk.

What had Su Zhiyu just said, anyway?

Something like... asking who it was from?

"Jiang Yizhou just handed this to me on the way. You barely ate tonight, so I grabbed it for you," Qin Yan raised a brow. "Not a fan of drinking stuff other people give you?"

So it really was Jiang Yizhou's.

Su Zhiyu's eyes dimmed for a second.

"Then I'll drink this one, and I'll heat you up a fresh one when we get back."

With that, Qin Yan reached for the milk, but Su Zhiyu unexpectedly shifted and clutched the bottle to himself.

"Huh?"

Su Zhiyu looked at Qin Yan, brow furrowed: "I'm hungry. I wanna drink it."

Qin Yan froze, his hand still out in front of Su Zhiyu. The young man's slightly evasive look was more intoxicating than any fine meal.

His heart was pounding in his ears.

"Okay." Qin Yan said just that one word, his voice low and shaky in a way he hadn't even realized.

Su Zhiyu felt burned by Qin Yan's stare. He turned half away, quietly opened the lid, and took little sips.

The milky white liquid coated his lips, leaving them red and glossy.

Qin Yan braced his hands on the seat, forcing himself to look away, each breath carefully controlled.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the ride.

"Sir, we're here."

The driver dutifully reminded the two in the backseat.

Qin Yan snapped out of it and turned to Su Zhiyu: "Su Zhiyu, we're home."

Su Zhiyu was about to open the door when he heard Qin Yan's words. He suddenly froze mid-motion.

Home?

Did this even count as his home?

In the few seconds he was spaced out, Qin Yan had already jumped out, come around to his side, and opened the door for him. His face suddenly filled Su Zhiyu's view, and Su Zhiyu instinctively flinched back.

Qin Yan grabbed him fast: "What are you flinching for? Get out."

"...Okay."

Su Zhiyu got out of the car, and the two walked up one after the other.

Qin Yan stopped, and Su Zhiyu stopped too, always maintaining a distance of one meter.

Qin Yan: "..."

He simply turned around and directly grabbed Su Zhiyu's wrist: "Walk side by side with me."