Today was a rare day off. They didn't have to attend the private school or go to the martial arts school to practice their forms, so Gong Che and Shi Yi had arranged to go shopping together.
"You called me out just to hang around. What are we even going to do?"
Shi Yi rolled his eyes. He felt like Gong Che had been unusually energetic lately. He was lively in class and couldn't sit still even on days off, dragging Shi Yi out of bed early in the morning.
Ever since his mother returned from the Ice Flood Dragon Clan, his parents had been lovey-dovey all day long. He was the one who felt like an extra.
That was probably why his parents had kicked him out with the excuse, "It's not every day a friend asks you to hang out. You should go."
"We'll think of something along the way. It's not like you have anything to do at home, right?"
"How about this? Lunch is on me today!" Gong Che said generously.
"Did something good happen to you?" Shi Yi asked suspiciously.
Gong Che had been waiting for Shi Yi to ask that. At last, he had.
"I'm finally going to live past sixteen."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm only telling you this, so don't tell anyone else."
"Go ahead."
Gong Che's expression turned serious. "Actually, I'm an orphan someone found and took in. I was born with cold energy in my body, and I wasn't supposed to live past sixteen. I only found out when I overheard my parents talking while I was using the bathroom one night."
"They thought I didn't know, but I knew everything."
Shi Yi froze. He hadn't expected Gong Che to have such a tragic past. "Then now..."
"To live past