My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 3

Zuo Yi mocked himself, thinking he must be possessed. Only a few days had passed, yet standing at the entrance of Jingxi University again felt entirely different. In his eyes, this century-old gate now looked like a steep, rugged mountain, resolutely blocking the surging ripples of his youth.

While he was lost in thought, his phone vibrated incessantly. He unlocked it to find he had been added to a six-person WeChat group named “Brother, Love Me One More Time.” Li Zihao and the others were already clamoring for him to show up.

[Rich and Handsome Big Stud]: @Zorro Where are you?

[Zorro]: Where are you guys? Send me your location.

Zuo Yi replied to the message.

[Rich and Handsome Big Stud]: We are playing billiards.

[Rich and Handsome Big Stud]: [Location]

[Rich and Handsome Big Stud]: Come quickly and watch me crush them.

[Secretary Xie]: You mean get crushed, Brother Hao.

[Guo Guo]: [Snickering emoji]

[Disciplinary Committee]: We are waiting for you.

Zuo Yi clicked the location and found the billiards hall was only a little over a kilometer away. Considering he had already walked five kilometers, this small distance did not matter. He planned to continue on foot.

Strictly speaking, he had known these roommates for less than twenty-four hours, yet they did not feel like strangers. In moments of low spirits, having such a rowdy group around made him realize that collective life was not as bad as he had imagined. Without them, he did not know how long he would have remained drowned in these inexplicable emotions. He hated his current indecisive self. At times, Zuo Yi secretly felt relieved that his fate with Qi Yan might not be that deep. At least, they had not met today.

When he arrived at the billiards hall, they had just finished a round. Seeing that Zuo Yi had little interest in the game, everyone agreed to go eat early. A group of male sports students walking down the street was already eye-catching, let alone five giants averaging over 180cm tall sitting on the low stools of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The sight was quite comical.

The group stared with complicated expressions at the culprit who suggested this place, Guo Jingjing.

“I saw a recommendation on Xiaohongshu. I did not know the tables and stools would be this small. My fault, my fault. I will punish myself by drinking a full cup of Coke.” Guo Jingjing looked apologetic as he poured a full cup and drained it.

However, putting the hardware facilities aside, the food was excellent. They ate until they were satisfied, even ordering a few extra dishes. Once they were full, Li Zihao waved his hand and hailed two taxis to take them to SKYBAR in the city center, which was the largest club in Jingxi.

“Holy crap, Brother Hao, the consumption here is not low,” Xie Biao exclaimed.

Zuo Yi was also surprised. While Jiang City had bars of this scale, he had spent his entire high school career training, competing, or cramming for cultural classes. His sleep time had been compressed to the absolute limit. Standing here now felt like saying goodbye to his past life and stepping into a brand-new world.

“I told you I am covering everything today. Just go in and have fun,” Li Zihao said, pushing everyone toward the bar.

Li Zihao had clearly come prepared and had booked a booth in advance. The bar manager led them inside. The DJ on stage was energetically shouting a countdown, and the heavy beat of the music combined with the flashing lights instantly drowned out their astonishment.

Zuo Yi’s heart vibrated along with the floor beneath his feet. The feeling was not exactly unpleasant, but it was uncomfortable. After squeezing through the crowded dance floor to reach their booth, they found a girl already there, swaying to the music with a glass in her hand.

Everyone was stunned. The girl had a high ponytail and delicate, though not heavy, makeup. There were shimmering sequins under the corners of her eyes. When she saw Li Zihao, she immediately stood up to greet him. Li Zihao sat down next to her excitedly and gestured for the others to take their seats. Zuo Yi watched their behavior curiously, wondering about their relationship.

If Li Zihao was gay, then based on their closeness, this girl was likely his best friend. Sometimes Zuo Yi admired his own wit; after all, it had only taken him a few days to figure out that Li Zihao was gay.

Except for Zuo Yi, the others were no longer restrained and had fully integrated into the wall of sound. While he was dazed, Li Zihao handed him a drink, gesturing for a toast. Zuo Yi took it and clinked his glass against Li Zihao’s. The other man drained his foreign liquor in one gulp.

Zuo Yi had been feeling restless these past few days, so he refused to show weakness. He tilted his head back and poured the full glass down his throat, though the bitter aftertaste of the liquor made him feel nauseous. Li Zihao had not expected the kid to be so bold as to down a glass of neat liquor like that.

Zuo Yi’s recklessness caught the girl’s attention. She called a waiter for a glass of warm water and then slapped Li Zihao hard on the back. Li Zihao jumped from the pain. The girl leaned close to Zuo Yi’s ear, maintaining a polite distance, and said: “That glass you just had was neat. You need to drink some water to settle it, or you will get drunk fast.”

Zuo Yi already felt a fire spreading from his stomach to his throat, and his head began to feel unusually heavy. His last memory was taking the glass of water and drinking a large mouthful.

When he woke up the next day, he was in a hotel room with a leg draped over his waist. Dizzy and hungover, Zuo Yi was startled by the leg and quickly pushed it away.

Li Zihao woke up abruptly: “Holy crap, I just dreamed I was being pushed off a building. I almost lost my soul.”

As Zuo Yi sat up, he saw that everyone from the dorm who attended the party was sprawled out across the room. Zuo Yi propped himself up with one hand while pressing his temple, trying to calmly recall what happened after that drink.

“You blacked out yesterday. You were as heavy as a damn cow. Several people could not lift you, so we just opened a room to settle for the night.” Li Zihao got up and answered his questions while walking toward the bathroom.

It had to be said that alcohol was a magical thing. After one glass, he closed his eyes and opened them to find the night had passed. During this night, he did not overthink things or suffer from insomnia.

Zuo Yi regained his composure, woke the others, and rushed back to school. Fortunately, formal training had not yet begun, so their overnight absence was not a major issue. However, when they returned to the dorm, Feng Sang was still nowhere to be seen.

The group had no special plans for the day, so they stayed in the dorm to recuperate. No one mentioned exploring the campus, as the thought of military training starting the next day drained everyone’s energy. The sun in Jingxi was incredibly fierce; standing under it for hours meant either getting tanned or getting heatstroke. Zuo Yi had prepared Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid in advance just in case.

When Feng Sang returned that evening, Zuo Yi distributed some to everyone and told them to drink it after breakfast the next morning to prevent heatstroke.

At noon the following day, the freshmen were questioning their life choices while standing at attention. Everyone was dizzy and suffering under the scorching sun. Suddenly, a girl from the neighboring class cried out: “Report, Instructor! Someone has fainted!”

The neighboring instructor approached with a dark expression. Seeing the fainted girl’s pale lips, he quickly ordered two male students to carry her to the school infirmary. Zuo Yi felt secretly lucky that he had taken the medicine. Although he was lightheaded, he still had enough physical strength. He thought that if he could just grit his teeth and endure a bit longer, it would be time for the lunch break.

Unexpectedly, Li Zihao, who was beside him, lightly bumped his right arm. Before Zuo Yi’s brain could react, his arms had already caught Li Zihao’s body as it plummeted toward the ground. The students behind them saw this and shouted: “Instructor, someone fainted over here too!”

The instructor ordered Zuo Yi and Xie Biao to take Li Zihao to the infirmary. After a careful checkup, the school doctor fed him some glucose. Li Zihao grabbed a corner of the doctor’s white coat with teary eyes and said: “Doctor, I have been physically weak since I was a child. I am particularly prone to anemia and have to take a special medication to control it. My medicine must have run out yesterday, which is why I could not hold on today. My family is near the school. Can I have her bring some medicine over?”

“Of course you can! Why did you not report this situation to the school earlier? Once your family arrives, I will write you a leave slip. You can stay in the dormitory to rest during this military training. You cannot force yourself if your health is poor. As an adult, you must be responsible for your own body.”

Hearing this, the doctor felt a lingering fear and urged Li Zihao to contact his family. Zuo Yi was equally worried. Seeing a 185cm tall guy collapse in front of him was frightening in hindsight.

Li Zihao slowly pulled a phone from his camouflage pants and handed it to Zuo Yi: “Please help me call Guan Guan. It is a quick trip for her from Jingxi University.” After saying this, he coughed a few times, looking very weak.

Guan Guan?

Zuo Yi looked at the phone in his hand with confusion. Noticing his hesitation, Li Zihao tilted his head and said: “Press 1. Emergency contact.”

Zuo Yi took the phone and long-pressed “1.” It was indeed Guan Guan’s number. The call was answered almost instantly.

“Hello, is this Guan Guan?” Zuo Yi asked politely.

The person on the other end was clearly stunned before asking cautiously: “Hello, who is this?”

“I am Li Zihao’s classmate. Li Zihao fainted during military training today, and we need you to bring the medication he usually takes.” Zuo Yi replied.

Guan Guan’s tone became anxious: “Where are you now? The hospital?”

“We are at the Institute of Physical Education infirmary. He is resting. You can just come over. Do not worry, and please stay safe.”

After hanging up, Zuo Yi returned the phone to Li Zihao. Xie Biao had already returned to the ranks. Zuo Yi hesitated between returning to training or staying, but the doctor was still worried about Li Zihao’s condition and suggested Zuo Yi stay to help in case of another emergency.

About twenty minutes later, Zuo Yi heard someone mention Li Zihao’s name at the door. Guessing it was Guan Guan, he stood up to meet her.

When he saw the two people at the door, it was Zuo Yi’s turn to feel dizzy, nearly collapsing to the floor. This was because he never expected the person arriving to be the girl, he had shared drinks with at SKYBAR, Li Zihao’s best friend.

And behind her, with half his body in the sunlight and half shadowed by the doorway, stood the tall boy whom Zuo Yi longed for to his very bones, yet was terrified to face: Qi Yan.

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