My Childhood Friend is Secretly in Love with Me - Chapter 4

“Xiao Yi, long time no see.”

Qi Yan happened to meet his startled gaze. In that lightning-fast intersection of vision, time seemed to stand still. Neither had expected to reunite in such a manner.

Zuo Yi captured a flicker of surprise flowing through Qi Yan’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. In that brief moment, Zuo Yi’s thoughts drifted back to a year ago. Back then, the three of them stood under the old locust tree at the entrance of the Moonlight Bay courtyard, promising to get into schools in Jingxi together. Now, the Qi Yan standing before him felt both familiar and like a stranger.

A wave of bitterness rose in Zuo Yi’s heart. A year’s worth of suppression, anger, grievance, and longing all fell into silence at this moment. He withdrew his burning gaze and stepped aside to make a path. As Qi Yan passed by him, Zuo Yi caught a scent of tobacco so faint it was almost negligible.

Qi Yan started smoking? In his memory, Qi Yan never touched cigarettes or alcohol.

Guan Guan was also stunned to see Zuo Yi in his camouflage uniform. “So you were the one who called just now. Where is Zihao?”

“He is resting. I will take you there.”

Zuo Yi led the two of them to the bed where Li Zihao was resting. Seeing him coughing incessantly with a flushed face, a trace of suspicion flashed in Guan Guan’s eyes. She and Li Zihao were childhood friends, and she knew his personality well. She stepped forward, took one look at Li Zihao’s unnatural expression, and her face turned cold.

“Still acting?”

She saw through Li Zihao’s little trick instantly, her tone carrying a mix of irritation and helplessness.

Li Zihao remained silent, not daring to look Guan Guan in the eye. He knew his petty tricks could never be hidden from her.

“Do you think everyone is as idle as you are?” Guan Guan questioned again. “You wanted me to bring medicine? What kind of medicine? Something to cure young master syndrome?”

Zuo Yi observed Li Zihao, his train of thought quickly catching up. So this kid was faking an illness to dodge military training!

“Cough, cough. I am really sick. But now that you are here to see me, I feel much better.”

Li Zihao originally intended to keep lying there moaning, but upon seeing the handsome guy standing behind Guan Guan, he bolted upright. He could no longer keep up the act.

“Yo, this guy is pretty handsome. Who is he?” His tone was full of disdain.

Zuo Yi glanced sideways at Li Zihao.

“His name is Qi Yan. He is a classmate from my department,” Guan Guan introduced. She then turned to Zuo Yi and said, “This is Zihao’s roommate. His name is. What was it again?” She gestured for Li Zihao to speak.

Qi Yan smiled and proactively took over from Guan Guan, “Zuo Yi.”

For a moment, everyone was stunned. Even Zuo Yi forgot to respond. He did not expect Qi Yan to take the initiative to recognize him. In Zuo Yi’s heart, once Qi Yan had deleted all his contact information, he was certain that Qi Yan was determined to cut ties with everything and everyone from Moonlight Bay.

Since this was so sudden, Zuo Yi had originally thought about pretending they did not know each other. In his subconscious, he believed that if he had not chased his way to Jingxi out of spite, the two of them truly would have remained strangers for the rest of their lives.

Zuo Yi did not respond.

Qi Yan was not surprised. He spoke again, “Xiao Yi, long time no see. I did not expect us to meet here.” Every word Qi Yan spoke poured into Zuo Yi’s ears, leaving his head spinning.

Actually, long before coming to Jingxi, Zuo Yi had repeatedly pondered what kind of attitude he should have when facing Qi Yan. Who would have thought that all his preparations would fall victim to one unexpected event after another?

He sighed inwardly. “What a coincidence.” He often heard the elders in the courtyard say that fate is a mystery. Things you fear most often tend to happen. It was hard not to believe it. Looking at it now, it truly was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“You two know each other?” Li Zihao and Guan Guan questioned in unison.

Zuo Yi nodded unnaturally, which served as a silent admission. He really did not want to stay in this ambiguous situation. “Since you are here, I would like to go back to the dormitory to rest first.”

“I will walk you.”

Zuo Yi was confused. “Walk me?”

The moment the words landed, he realized he had not misunderstood, because the person speaking had already taken a step ahead of him. He quickly caught up. “No need to walk me. I can go back to the dormitory myself.”

Qi Yan said, “I suddenly feel a bit hungry. I happened to want to check out your cafeteria.”

Zuo Yi took out his phone to check the time. Without realizing it, it was already 12:30 PM. If Qi Yan had not mentioned being hungry, he would have forgotten he had not eaten lunch yet. He had planned to go straight back to the dorm for a nap.

Qi Yan looked around and asked, “Which way is the cafeteria?”

The Jingxi Physical Education Institute was not much smaller than Jingxi University. By the time Qi Yan finished asking for directions all the way to the main dining hall, there would be no food left.

“I will lead you there.” It happened that he was a bit hungry too.

Qi Yan suppressed the upward curve of his lips and said politely, “Alright. Shall we eat together?”

Zuo Yi nodded and took the lead. Two handsome guys standing nearly 190 cm tall walking side by side through the campus was quite a sight, causing passersby to turn their heads. Some female students even took out their phones to snap photos secretly.

Zuo Yi was completely oblivious to this. His mind was occupied with the thought: Could Qi Yan’s desire to go eat be an excuse to spend more time with him?

A moment later, he realized how narcissistic that thought was. What reason would Qi Yan have to do that? He probably did not want to see him at all. After all, he was the one who left without saying goodbye. Perhaps he did not even want Zuo Yi to follow him to Jingxi.

By the time they reached the cafeteria, the peak lunch hour had passed. There were no lines at the stalls, and they quickly got their lunch. They found a quiet corner and sat down, each eating a bowl of beef noodles.

Zuo Yi’s bowl was nearly empty, while the noodles in Qi Yan’s bowl seemed to increase the more he ate. It was still a full bowl.

“Is it not good?” Zuo Yi asked.

Qi Yan put down his chopsticks and shook his head. “The taste is quite good. I just do not eat much. I am already full.”

Zuo Yi also put down his chopsticks and observed him secretly. In the past, while Qi Yan’s appetite was not large, it was never a bird’s appetite like this. Zuo Yi used to steal Qi Yan’s food. Back then, although Qi Yan was a refined eater, he would still playfully compete for food with great interest.

After lunch, Qi Yan insisted on walking Zuo Yi back to his dormitory. They walked from the cafeteria toward the sports field. Past a small grove of trees was his dormitory building.

Zuo Yi thought about it the whole way. He did not want his presence to disrupt Qi Yan’s current life plans. While both were relatively silent, Zuo Yi intentionally said, “I only came to the Jingxi Physical Education Institute because my academic scores met the requirements. There was no other reason.” He kicked a small pebble by the road as he walked, as if discussing a very casual topic. “I did not intend to disturb you.”

Qi Yan was slightly stunned. He stopped walking and looked at him. “Mm, I know.”

Zuo Yi stopped as well, surprised. “You know?”

What did he know? Did he know he was lying, or did he know he had no intention of disturbing him?

During Zuo Yi’s momentary daze, Qi Yan suddenly leaned closer to him. He carefully scrutinized every part of Zuo Yi’s face, from his eyes to his mouth. Then, Qi Yan leaned into Zuo Yi’s ear and whispered, “The little troublemaker has grown up.”

Zuo Yi held his breath and stared at the person in front of him. Up close, this face was much more mature and refined than the one in his dreams. He was captivated by Qi Yan’s dangerously attractive face, his mind going blank.

“Why are you dazed?” Qi Yan’s hand waved in front of Zuo Yi’s eyes.

Zuo Yi gave a foolish laugh and snapped out of it, explaining, “I am full. Carb coma, just a carb coma.”

Qi Yan accompanied Zuo Yi to the bottom of the dormitory building. Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zuo Yi called out to him.

Qi Yan turned back and asked, “Is something the matter?”

During lunch, Zuo Yi had a stomach full of questions he wanted to ask. He knew it was not the right time, so he had been holding back. However, based on Qi Yan’s reaction today, it seemed as if he were just seeing an old friend he had not met in a long time, maintaining etiquette but not needing to spend much energy catching up.

He did not believe he was entirely unimportant in Qi Yan’s heart. Even if he was being impulsive, he wanted to test Qi Yan’s stance.

“Do you have nothing you want to say or ask me?”

Qi Yan smiled, a very gentle smile. He turned back and walked toward Zuo Yi. He reached out his long, fair hand and ruffled Zuo Yi’s hair, answering softly, “Seeing you here, I am very happy.” He paused for a moment and added, “Even though you did not come for me, I am still very pleasantly surprised.”

Zuo Yi crossed his arms, pretending not to care. “Do not mess up my hair. I really did not come for you.”

Yet, in the depths of his heart where no one could see, he thought wildly: If not for you, then for whom else?

His heart, which had finally managed to calm down, was now in chaos again. It was as if a fluffy cat’s paw had scratched at the embers of his heart, causing the fire to reignite. A year of hard work in exchange for Qi Yan saying he was happy, it was worth it.

After saying goodbye to Qi Yan, Zuo Yi returned to the dorm. Seeing that there was not much time left for a midday break, he took a quick shower and went to the assembly.

In the afternoon, Li Zihao successfully obtained a medical excuse from the school nurse. He would not need to participate in military training for the next two weeks.

When the day’s training ended, everyone was exhausted. Zuo Yi was no exception. After washing up back at the dorm, he collapsed on his bed, lacking the energy to move. Li Zihao had been waiting for him to return to continue the gossip from noon. He sat down heavily on the edge of Zuo Yi’s bed, startling him.

“What the hell! What are you doing?” Zuo Yi cursed.

Li Zihao took an interrogating stance. “Tell me, what is the story with that guy Qi Yan?”

The other roommates caught the scent of gossip. Their minds wanted to listen, but their bodies were too tired to cooperate, so they had to give up.

“What do you want to know?” Zuo Yi moved inward to make room. He knew that once someone was hooked on gossip, they would not stop until they reached their goal. He decided to selectively reveal some trivial information to satisfy Li Zihao quickly and regain his peace.

“First, tell me how you two know each other,” Li Zihao asked.

Zuo Yi thought for a moment and replied, “We are both from Jiangcheng. We grew up together.”

Li Zihao realized. “Oh, childhood friends.”

“Mm,” Zuo Yi nodded.

“That is not right. Why did it seem like you two were not very close today? Did you have a fight?” Li Zihao asked.

Zuo Yi sat up. This question was his private zone that he did not allow others to pry into. He brushed it off casually, “No. I was just surprised that he and Guan Guan were in the same department.”

Hearing him say that, Li Zihao remembered the main thing he wanted to find out. “Speaking of that, I actually wanted to ask if you know what the relationship is between Qi Yan and Guan Guan?”

“What do you mean? Are they not classmates?”

Zuo Yi did not understand his meaning. Had Guan Guan not said they were classmates in the same department? What other relationship could there be?

Li Zihao scratched his head awkwardly and explained, “It is like this. Guan Guan has never been this close to any other guy besides me. When that guy Qi Yan came to our school with her today, I thought it was quite strange. So, I was wondering if they are dating.”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Yi belatedly connected the dots. Since childhood, Qi Yan hardly spoke to any girls except for Ding Wenxiao. Under what circumstances would he accompany Guan Guan to meet a stranger?

It had to be a very close relationship for Qi Yan to be willing.

At that moment, it also dawned on him. So, the person Qi Yan liked was Guan Guan. Thinking of this, Zuo Yi’s heart sank suddenly. The feelings he had been carrying all this time had suddenly turned into my heart toward you, but your heart toward another.

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