I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 27

The next day was Sunday, the day of the birthday party for Feng Jin and Kong Liyan’s childhood friend.

Kong Liyan had several outfits laid out on his desk, vacillating between them, unsure which one to wear.

“Wanwan, help me out. Which one makes me look the most handsome?” Kong Liyan called out to Ji Wan. “Today, I’m going to be the most dashing lad among them!”

Ji Wan poked his head out from his bed and took a serious look at the clothes on the desk. “They’re all good, but the one in the middle is more suitable for a party, and it looks great on you.”

“Hehe, really?” Kong Liyan gleefully picked up the trench coat in the middle and put it on. After checking the mirror and preening his hairstyle, he felt he was truly the most handsome man under the heavens.

The “most dashing lad” turned around and blew a wink at Ji Wan, flipping his hair up. Ji Wan couldn’t help but laugh at the antics.

Feng Jin: “…”

“You’re the most dashing lad?” Feng Jin remarked.

Kong Liyan reacted quickly, coming up with a blatant excuse. “That’s right! Brother Feng, you’re the ‘Big Brother.’ Even though you’re the most handsome in the world, you shouldn’t participate in our ‘Dashing Lad’ rankings.”

Feng Jin: “…”

Feng Jin really didn’t want to watch Kong Liyan posturing any longer. He crossed the distance between the two beds and tugged at Ji Wan’s clothes, shifting Ji Wan’s attention from Kong Liyan to himself.

“It’s about time; we should head down and get ready,” Feng Jin said.

Ji Wan nodded and got up from the bed.

“Right, what are you two wearing?” Kong Liyan shifted his gaze from his reflection to the two people climbing down. Based on his understanding of them, both usually just relied on their faces and wore whatever they wanted.

So they’re probably just wearing whatever again? Fashion is completed by the face, after all, these two could turn a rag into a top-tier trend.

Then, Kong Liyan saw Ji Wan take a jujube-red overcoat out of the wardrobe.

Kong Liyan praised him: “Nice! That color suits you perfectly, Wanwan. I declare you the person who can wear this coat the best!”

Ji Wan: “…”

Ji Wan’s expression was subtle. With his back to Feng Jin, he winked frantically at Kong Liyan. However, this high-level maneuver was lost on Kong Liyan; he was completely puzzled and thought Ji Wan was imitating his earlier move by blowing him a wink.

So, Kong Liyan winked back and joked, “Since Wanwan and I are so like-minded, why don’t we wear the same color scheme together?”

Ji Wan was helpless. Knowing he couldn’t force Kong Liyan to catch his drift, he changed the subject so Kong Liyan wouldn’t keep talking about who looked best in the coat. “If you wear red too, then all three of us will be in red. Very festive.”

“Three?” Kong Liyan was surprised. He instinctively looked toward Feng Jin. “Brother Feng is also wearing red—”

Kong Liyan’s voice cut off as he saw the coat on Feng Jin, which was nearly identical to Ji Wan’s. He looked at Feng Jin, then at Ji Wan, finally confirming it.

It wasn’t nearly identical—the two coats were exactly the same!

Feng Jin zipped up his coat and asked with a fake smile, “You’re wearing it too?”

The smile on the corner of Feng Jin’s mouth could hardly be called harmonious or friendly. Kong Liyan froze and shook his head rapidly.

He wasn’t stupid. If he wore the same color as Feng Jin and Ji Wan, wouldn’t he just fade into the background? How could he be the most dashing lad then?

It was too hard. He was clearly a handsome guy too, but in this dormitory, he was destined to be at the bottom of the looks department. It was truly too hard.

However, seeing Ji Wan and Feng Jin both dressed in identical coats, Kong Liyan somehow found himself staring blankly.

Feng Jin noticed his daze and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“…Nothing,” Kong Liyan shook his head. “It’s just… there’s a feeling that after putting on these clothes, you two are a pair.”

“Is that so?” Feng Jin’s eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Ji Wan. Ji Wan was sitting on a chair tying his laces; hearing their discussion, he looked up and smiled at them.

The smile was light and clear, without a hint of gloom.

Feng Jin smiled too. He reached out with a seemingly upright hand to press down a tuft of hair sticking up on Ji Wan’s head, saying softly, “Because we… were always a pair to begin with.”

A birthday party in winter almost inevitably involves hotpot, and this time was no exception.

Feng Jin’s childhood friends had already arrived at the restaurant and ordered. They were waiting for the three of them to arrive so they could start eating. While waiting, everyone chatted casually.

“That couple over there is wearing the same clothes,” the birthday boy, Fang Wei, remarked while eating appetizers, recalling something from the past. “There was a piece of clothing I liked once, and Da Hei liked it too. we both wanted to fight to decide who had the right to wear it. Guess what happened? The sales assistant actually told us to buy one each.”

Fang Wei complained, “Who wants to wear the same style as him! What if we’re walking outside together and get mistaken for a couple!”

The others chimed in: “Hear that? He doesn’t want to wear the same style as you!”

“Get out of here. As if I’d want to either.” As a rugged Alpha, the thought of being mistaken for a couple with his bro gave Da Hei goosebumps.

Zhang Yangli commented: “Look at you two and your dirty thoughts. You can only think of ‘couple outfits’? Can’t it be ‘brother outfits’?”

“Whose thoughts are dirty? Identical brother outfits haven’t been in style for ages! Nowadays, brother outfits are about similar styles that aren’t exactly the same, matching individual styles, okay?” Fang Wei laughed while jokingly punching Zhang Yangli. “See, you don’t follow the trends. Your mind is stuck ten years ago. You’re outdated!”

As they were joking, someone with sharp eyes saw Feng Jin’s group entering the restaurant and waved to them.

“Over here, over here!” Da Hei waved his arm. “Brother Feng, why are you dressed so vibrantly today—uh?”

The aisle of the hotpot restaurant wasn’t wide enough for people to walk side-by-side. Initially, everyone could only see Feng Jin, who was leading the way. But as they got closer, everyone finally saw the clothes Feng Jin was wearing and the clothes Ji Wan was wearing behind him.

Everyone: “???”

The words they had just spoken while chatting were still echoing in their ears. For a moment, the phrase “couple outfits” looped in their minds until their legs felt weak.

Ji Wan had never paid attention to the difference between so-called couple outfits and brother outfits. He didn’t understand why this group looked like they had seen a ghost, so he looked at Feng Jin in confusion.

Receiving Ji Wan’s silent prompt, Feng Jin spoke lazily, “What’s wrong? Not welcoming us?”

“How could that be? Quick, sit down! We saved the best seats for you!” The birthday boy, Fang Wei, snapped out of it and enthusiastically invited them to sit.

After they sat down, Fang Wei couldn’t resist his curiosity. After some small talk, he asked, “How is it such a coincidence that you’re wearing the same coat? Because you both liked this one?”

Feng Jin didn’t answer, lowering his head to take a sip of tea.

Ji Wan didn’t think this was a topic that couldn’t be discussed. He assumed Feng Jin found it embarrassing to recall yesterday’s “beauty contest” over who looked better in the coat.

Hiding the part Feng Jin wanted to keep secret, he said to the group of friends who were listening intently, “Yeah, we both happened to like the same coat, so we just bought both.”

Oh, so it’s just a simple brother outfit!

Everyone present let out a collective sigh of relief. It wasn’t because of any dissatisfaction with Ji Wan, but because they simply couldn’t imagine Feng Jin in a relationship.

This guy, Feng Jin, falling in love? This person who had zero interest in others and never showed possessiveness didn’t seem like the type to have a normal romance, let alone go out and buy romantic couple outfits.

If they had to imagine it, they figured that if Feng Jin ever dated, he would be the type to let his partner wander wherever they wanted while he couldn’t be bothered to care. As for whether the partner encountered ambiguous situations or if other Alphas got too close with Feng Jin’s “too lazy to be jealous” personality, he’d probably just break up calmly rather than monitor their every move with exploding possessiveness.

It was clearly such a simple thing; why did they have to overthink it? It was perfectly normal for two top students to be uninterested in such trivial social trivia and not know it could be mistaken for a couple, right?

Relaxing, everyone began to eat and drink heartily. Ji Wan ate quietly, and suddenly several pieces of food appeared in his bowl. The person giving him food didn’t hesitate at all.

“This is good, try it,” Feng Jin said calmly.

“Mm.” Having experienced Feng Jin’s attentiveness yesterday, Ji Wan wasn’t surprised by the gesture today. He took it as Feng Jin taking care of him so he wouldn’t feel constrained in this relatively unfamiliar environment.

He smiled and took small bites of the food Feng Jin gave him.

Those at the table who noticed this scene gaped in shock.

Even though Kong Liyan also shared some meat with Ji Wan while scrambling for food showing great “classmate love”—no matter how you looked at it, the feeling was just different from when Feng Jin gave food to Ji Wan.

…Of course, it was different! Kong Liyan grabbed and shared food every day, but this was the first time they had ever seen Feng Jin give food to anyone!

Heavens, is this classmate love? It actually made Feng Jin change his nature?

Ji Wan ate while listening to the chat, chiming in occasionally. When eating hotpot with a group, the most intense moment is usually when a batch of food is cooked. At that moment, everyone is ready to strike for a round of “looting.”

The winners eat meat; the losers eat “dirt” while waiting for the next round. Ji Wan clearly lacked the combat power, but his bowl was never empty. Sometimes Feng Jin didn’t even eat himself, just gave food to him.

Ji Wan didn’t say anything, but he secretly observed Feng Jin’s preferences, wanting to grab some for him too. This observation actually revealed something.

There was a small dish of dessert on the table. The skin was cool and the filling was refreshing. He had two and found them delicious. But the Alphas at the table seemed uninterested in the dessert, focusing entirely on the meat. It was mostly just him and the other Beta, Zhang Yangli, eating them.

Meanwhile, Feng Jin’s gaze would occasionally sweep over the dessert with a look of utter disdain, as if he were completely uninterested.

…That familiar, stubborn “tsundere” state. He was a regular at this.

Ji Wan thought for a moment, took a dessert for himself, and then put two into Feng Jin’s plate.

“What are you doing?” Feng Jin drawled. “I don’t eat this.”

“Yeah, I know you don’t,” Ji Wan said. “But I think it’s pretty good, so I wanted you to try it.”

Sitting right next to Feng Jin, Ji Wan bumped Feng Jin’s leg with his knee under the table and whispered, “Brother Feng, give me some face?”

Feng Jin’s breath hitched for a second, and his whole body stiffened. After a moment, he said, “Fine, then.”

Seeing Feng Jin looking reluctant but eating with extreme care—as if afraid to miss a single crumb—Ji Wan couldn’t help but smile.

Ji Wan went back to eating the meat Feng Jin had grabbed for him while thinking.

When I bumped Feng Jin’s knee just now, his reaction seemed a bit large.

Is it because his legs are sensitive and he doesn’t like being touched?

Indeed, I should be more careful next time.

Once they were full, everyone prepared to head to the next destination: a KTV for karaoke.

Feng Jin’s friends were all “mic hogs.” As they sang, they would jokingly fight over whose song was next. Though they were all confident, their singing levels were quite inconsistent—some were quite good, while others were a “demonic voice piercing the ears.”

Ji Wan sat on the sofa with Feng Jin beside him.

“Aren’t you going to sing?” Ji Wan asked.

Feng Jin frowned and said something. But in this ear-splitting KTV room, Ji Wan couldn’t hear him clearly.

“What did you say?” Ji Wan leaned in closer.

Feng Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. The lights in the KTV were dim, and the atmosphere lights rotated through the room. A light reflected in Feng Jin’s eyes for a fleeting moment. Ji Wan couldn’t see the expression clearly, but he instinctively felt it was a bit different from Feng Jin’s usual self.

Feng Jin leaned in close to Ji Wan’s ear. From a distance, it looked like he was whispering sweet nothings.

This time, Ji Wan finally heard Feng Jin’s voice: “I said, I can’t hear what you’re saying clearly.”

The airflow from the words hit his ear, bringing a wave of numbness and itchiness. Ji Wan wanted to pull back out of habit, but he restrained the urge. Once Feng Jin finished, Ji Wan followed suit and leaned toward Feng Jin’s ear: “I said, aren’t you going to sing?”

Feng Jin smiled and shook his head.

The distance between Ji Wan and him was so close; their shoulders were touching. If Ji Wan were willing to lean in a bit more, his entire weight would be pressed against him.

He loved this way of communicating. He could blatantly have close contact, yet it was the safest distance. His careful and vigilant prey had entered his territory, yet was so relaxed and peaceful, completely unaware that danger was right beside him.

Once the exchange ended, Feng Jin got a glass of juice for Ji Wan, and the two sat aside listening to others sing.

Kong Liyan was currently performing a rock song. Ji Wan listened happily, occasionally cheering and clapping for him. Seeing this from the stage, Kong Liyan boisterously blew him a kiss.

Feng Jin suppressed the urge to grab Ji Wan’s face and force him to look at him. He leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes to adjust his mood.

It’s not time yet.

When Ji Wan feels that being by his side is the most comfortable, and is willing to settle down in this territory—that will be the time to strike.

Time passed quickly. Near midnight, the cake was brought in and candles were lit. After the birthday boy made a wish and blew them out, the cake was cut into small pieces. Everyone got a slice.

Just as Ji Wan was about to start eating his cake, a cheer went up. This cheer was like a battle horn. Everyone sprang into action, hurling their cake at the person closest to them.

The clever ones dodged; the slow ones got a face full of cake.

Ji Wan: “…”

I was careless—this wasn’t food, it was a weapon!

Someone with a face full of cream turned and stared at Ji Wan. Ji Wan’s guard went up, and he dodged a glob of cream thrown his way. He was still a bit slow; although he dodged most of it, a small splatter hit the corner of his mouth and chin.

Laughing, Ji Wan ducked his head behind Feng Jin, who had stood up. He had realized that being by Feng Jin’s side was the safest; the others didn’t quite dare to mess with him.

Feng Jin turned his head and saw Ji Wan’s current appearance.

On that exquisitely carved face, next to lips as red as flower petals, was pure white cream. The cream wasn’t just at the corner of his lips; there were also specks of white on Ji Wan’s delicate chin.

Feng Jin’s breath hitched. He couldn’t help but associate it with certain unhealthy thoughts. He pulled a few tissues from the table and handed them to Ji Wan.

“Wipe it off,” Feng Jin said, trying his best to control his voice.

Ji Wan took them, wiped his face clean, and then enthusiastically wanted to join the battle. But he was truly no match for these experienced Alphas. Soon, he retreated again, seeking Feng Jin’s protection.

Feng Jin heard Ji Wan’s laughter. Ji Wan was very happy and didn’t notice the distance between him and Feng Jin. The light laughter, accompanied by a breath of air, brushed against the pheromone gland on the back of Feng Jin’s neck.

Feng Jin hadn’t even recovered from the previous wave of stimulation when he faced another attack. His scalp went numb instantly.

He took a deep breath. While everyone was in the midst of the chaos and hadn’t noticed him, he stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the box.