Find a time to talk

After closing the door, Wen Ce glanced at Zhao Li, who was still peering outside curiously, and said, a little speechless, "What's with you?"

"What? What's with me?" Zhao Li was speechless too. "I just saw your teacher and said hello. Whatever else you might say about your counselor, she's seriously gorgeous even without makeup."

As he spoke, he nudged Wen Ce with a sleazy grin. "How old is she? Is she seeing anyone?"

Wen Ce looked up at him, his gaze cool, yet Zhao Li inexplicably saw murderous intent in it.

He hesitantly took a step back, his voice growing a little quieter. "What's wrong?"

Wen Ce couldn't explain it. He just felt a little annoyed. He shifted his gaze away slightly. "Do you have that much time on your hands? Why are you so interested in her?"

"Come on, even if I'm busy, I still need a girlfriend. If neither of us is married..."

His voice abruptly cut off, and he clicked his tongue. "Hey, Little Wen, don't tell me you're upset because I asked about your counselor?"

Zhao Li sounded exaggeratedly incredulous as he hurried two steps to Wen Ce's side. "You like her?"

Without breaking stride, Wen Ce carried the groceries Zhao Li had brought toward the kitchen. "Why do you talk so much?"

"I've just had all this bottled up, so I came to vent to you. Vent, you know? I'm here to chat." Zhao Li followed him into the kitchen. "Don't change the subject. I'm a professional at this. Little Wen, that reaction of yours is seriously suspicious. We've been partners for three years, after all..."

Wen Ce simply ignored him, finding Zhao Li especially annoying today.

But liking her?

His gaze drifted to the box he had set aside, and Luo Lianqing's face flashed through his mind.

He couldn't call it liking her yet, but she certainly was his type.

Wen Ce took the groceries out of the bag. In all these years, this was the first time he had met someone who matched his type perfectly. It was inevitable that he would pay her a little more attention.

Not to mention that she looked a little like someone he used to know.

After talking at length without getting any response, Zhao Li simply sighed and concluded, "If you like her, go after her. Your counselor clearly isn't short on suitors, but you've got the advantage of the pavilion closest to the water getting the moon first. She lives right across the hall, buddy."

"That's enough. Do you still want dinner or not?" Wen Ce clicked his tongue. "There are snacks and fruit outside. Go sit down and wait."

"Nope. I'm mainly here to vent, and dinner won't give me enough time. I'll wait right here. You work, I'll talk. We won't interfere with each other."

Zhao Li laid it out clearly.

A large part of why he had become friends with Wen Ce was that he understood people like Wen Ce, who was practically a withdrawn child, all too well.

He came to vent to him for two reasons. First, Wen Ce was someone who could be told these things. Second, Wen Ce would only listen and barely speak, merely giving him a few basic responses for form's sake.

That was enough.

Leaning against the side, Zhao Li caught a whiff of something fragrant. He turned to look around, his gaze settling on a cardboard box. "Did you buy these?"

As he spoke, he reached over and picked it up.

Wen Ce noticed and wanted to stop him, but then felt that stopping him would seem a little strange.

He could only watch as Zhao Li opened the box and popped a small cookie into his mouth. "Freshly baked, right? Pretty crisp, but a little bland. Doesn't seem like there's much butter or anything in them..."

Wen Ce suddenly reached over and took out a cookie, his hand still a little wet.

Zhao Li let out a protest. "You're dripping water in there. You could've asked me."

But Wen Ce looked at the paw-shaped cookie in his hand and suddenly smiled.

Zhao Li: ...???

Why was he smiling over a cookie?

Wen Ce was absolutely certain that this cookie was the same as the ones he had just fed Egg Yolk.

The size, shape, and smell were all about the same.

Then he thought carefully about how Luo Lianqing had behaved earlier.

Wen Ce suddenly reached over and took the box from Zhao Li. "Stop eating those. There are butter cookies outside. Go eat those if you're hungry."

"Hey, why are you being like this? Freshly baked ones smell so good." Zhao Li didn't understand. Wen Ce felt strange today. He wouldn't even let him have a box of cookies.

Something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait, you don't have an oven. If you bought butter cookies at the supermarket, why would you also have freshly baked cookies? Besides, the way you were dressed earlier, you clearly should've been home the whole time..."

His eyes suddenly lit up. "So someone gave you these cookies? There are only two apartments on each floor here, so your neighbor gave them to you?"

"Ooh," Zhao Li said. "Your counselor gave them to you? I get it!"

He patted Wen Ce and said with a grin, "Good luck! I'll go eat the butter cookies. I won't touch yours, okay? Don't get all fierce!"

Wen Ce listened to him run his mouth, then watched him leave, brimming with confidence.

But he had to admit that this string of guesses was almost entirely correct.

Except Zhao Li might have misunderstood. Wen Ce wasn't keeping the cookies from him because he couldn't bear to share them, but because he couldn't bear to let him fight Egg Yolk for food.

Wen Ce sighed. "Still, I'd rather feed Egg Yolk than give them to you."

He really didn't particularly want to give them to Zhao Li, either.

After hesitating for a moment, he put the cookie in his hand into his mouth anyway.

Mm, it really was too bland, practically tasteless. There probably wasn't any butter in it, either.

Wen Ce put the cookies away, took off his glasses, and set them aside. Perhaps he could find a time to have a proper talk with his senior.

Meanwhile, after returning from taking out the trash, Luo Lianqing took out her phone and began searching with a serious expression. "How do you tell someone's sexual orientation?"

"If a guy doesn't really react to a pretty girl with a good figure, does that mean he likes men?"

"Tsk, that's not right. I feel like he still gets shy, though?" Luo Lianqing frowned at her second search and muttered, "It's not like he didn't react at all, right? I thought he still..."

"Meow~" Egg Yolk came over and gently stepped on her foot, then tilted his head at her and meowed again.

Luo Lianqing came back to herself and scooped Egg Yolk up. "I've just got nothing to do. I'm only a little curious."

Who knew whom she was explaining herself to.

Stroking Egg Yolk's soft fur, she glanced at her darkened phone screen again and sighed. "Egg Yolk, I really feel like he looks like an old friend of mine. But that friend was a girl. Could she be his sister?"

Naturally, Egg Yolk couldn't answer her question.

Luo Lianqing sighed. If he really was someone she knew, perhaps she could ask around...

She glanced out the window. The weather was lovely, and her gaze was a little unfocused.

It was as though someone from the past had returned, except the gender didn't match.

The cat in her arms meowed and ran off.

Luo Lianqing didn't move. As she did most of the time, she sat motionless, looking out the window.

No trace of any shifting emotion showed on her face.

Suddenly, a sound came from across the hall. At last, she stirred and glanced toward the door, something flickering across her face.

Perhaps she could find a time to talk with Wen Ce. She had been too mortified before to have a proper conversation with him.