Elopement

No one spoke. Cen Xia felt the air moving more slowly around him.

Chi Zhao folded his arms and openly studied the boy sitting in the middle, looking him over from head to toe, carefully examining every detail.

Beautiful, but in a different way from Yan Wuping.

Of everyone Chi Zhao had seen, he was the first whose looks could rival Yan Wuping's.

No wonder... he thought. No wonder Huo Jinran was so obsessed.

Noticing Huo Jinran's gaze growing dangerous as he looked the boy over so brazenly, he snorted. What was this? A warning?

He leaned forward slightly and tipped his chin toward the boy as if teasing a pet. "Hey, what's your name?"

His tone was downright nasty.

Huo Jinran's expression darkened at once. "Chi Zhao!"

"What's this about? I only wanted to know his name." Chi Zhao met his gaze innocently.

"My name is Lin Jiandu," Lin Jiandu said, putting a stop to the increasingly dangerous atmosphere.

Chi Zhao said, "Oh," then turned to Pei Huaiyi, who was sitting to one side, leaning against his chair and watching everything with a cool expression. "You already knew him?"

Pei Huaiyi nodded. "Yeah."

Chi Zhao clicked his tongue. "Are you two starting to keep things from me now?"

Given Pei Huaiyi's personality, he wouldn't explain himself, so Chi Zhao looked at Huo Jinran, the meaning in his eyes clear: Explain.

"Xiao Jian and I met last year. He was admitted to Kanlitel this year as a special-admission student, so I asked Pei Huaiyi to look after him."

The story was simple, and Huo Jinran finished it in a few words.

Chi Zhao crossed his legs. "Why didn't you ask me? I've at least got the title of Disciplinary Group leader at Kanlitel."

"You were so busy lately that you hardly even went to school. If I'd asked you, would you have taken it to heart?"

Chi Zhao thought he had a point and nodded in agreement. "True."

Playing an NPC on the sidelines, Cen Xia was bored out of his mind.

Lin Jiandu noticed how out of place he was and whispered in his ear, "Sorry, Cen Xia. I didn't think today would turn out like this."

Cen Xia was ticklish. The fine hairs on his ear stood up at once, and he quickly drew in his neck.

Their movements drew the attention of the others at the table.

"And who's this?" Chi Zhao raised an eyebrow.

To everyone's surprise, Pei Huaiyi spoke up. "Cen Xia."

Cen Xia hadn't expected him to remember his name and was a little surprised.

Chi Zhao was surprised too. "You know him?"

As he spoke, he looked Cen Xia up and down, a puzzled expression on his face, as if he couldn't understand why someone so ordinary had caught Pei Huaiyi's eye.

"Yeah." Pei Huaiyi looked at Cen Xia as he spoke, a faint glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes. "We've had class together. I heard he looks like a zombie when he has an episode. I want to see."

Cen Xia: "..." He still hadn't forgotten about that?

Disgust showed in Chi Zhao's eyes. "If it's not dissecting corpses, it's zombies. What kind of hobbies are those?"

At a loss for words, Cen Xia felt someone pat his hand beneath the table and turned his head.

Lin Jiandu whispered as if to comfort him, "Don't listen to his nonsense. You don't look like a zombie at all."

"...Thanks for the comfort."

Seeing how close the two of them were, Huo Jinran felt a little jealous.

"Xiao Jian, is there anything else you want to eat? I'll have them bring more."

Lin Jiandu shook his head. "We're almost full. You guys go ahead and eat. My friend and I will leave first."

He got up and took Cen Xia's hand to leave.

"Xiao Jian..." Huo Jinran stopped him. "Stay a little longer. We haven't seen each other in so long. I've missed you."

"But I made plans with my friend." Lin Jiandu looked troubled, but he immediately gave him a reassuring smile. "Next time."

If God gave gifts to people according to how much he loved them, then without a doubt, Lin Jiandu was the one he loved most.

As long as he wanted it, he could easily win others' favor; as long as he liked something, countless people would rush forward one after another to offer him the world's treasures with both hands.

Wherever he stood, he was the center of attention.

Huo Jinran's obsession with him had begun the moment he first laid eyes on him, like a greedy man beholding a treasure, like a dying man finding a miracle cure.

He willingly became a marionette in Lin Jiandu's hands, controlled by his every move.

But even a puppet had impossible desires.

"I'll be very busy after this. Just tonight, all right?" His tone was almost pleading.

Lin Jiandu's fingertips twitched at his side.

Should I refuse?

Tonight he only wanted to be with Cen Xia, but Huo Jinran was still useful to him, at least for now...

If I refuse him, will all my previous efforts go to waste? Though he hadn't really made any effort. He'd only smiled at him, and this man had kept his eyes fixed on him like a dog that had caught the scent of a bone.

What if? What if this dog hasn't been tamed and flies into a rage out of humiliation?

He still needed this dog to clear the way for him.

But... what about Cen Xia?

He wanted to spend time with Cen Xia because he felt comfortable.

If only someone would refuse for me.

In those few short seconds, a thousand thoughts ran through Lin Jiandu's mind. He made his choice, and his lips moved-

"Sorry, but I made plans with him. Shouldn't things work on a first-come, first-served basis? You can make plans for next time."

Cen Xia stepped forward, placing himself between them, his expression calm and his tone even.

"Huh?"

Huo Jinran was so stunned by his reckless behavior that he didn't know how to react for a moment.

Cen Xia didn't wait for him to react. Having said his piece, he took Lin Jiandu's hand and strode quickly out the door.

Long after the two had left, Chi Zhao burst out laughing, doubling over as if he'd just watched a sketch performance.

Only then did Huo Jinran come to his senses, his expression ugly in the extreme.

"Has he always had such a death wish?"

The question was directed at Pei Huaiyi.

Pei Huaiyi thought for a moment. "Maybe it's because he's sick." Sick in the literal sense.

People with terminal illnesses were generally a little bolder than ordinary people. After all, "the worst that can happen is I die" was no big deal to them.

Chi Zhao clutched his stomach and laughed even harder.

Meanwhile, Cen Xia kept walking with Lin Jiandu by the hand. Only after they had left Private Banquet and walked several hundred meters did he stop.

Their hands were still clasped, a faint sheen of sweat on their palms.

Cen Xia let go and casually wiped his hand on his clothes. Lin Jiandu felt the warmth in his palm and was momentarily distracted.

It belatedly occurred to Cen Xia that perhaps he shouldn't have refused on Lin Jiandu's behalf like that. What if Lin Jiandu had wanted to hang out with Huo Jinran?

At the time, he had only thought that Lin Jiandu was in a difficult position and couldn't easily refuse either of them, so he had taken it upon himself to refuse the others for him.

In that moment, he had completely forgotten that he hadn't planned any other activities with Lin Jiandu after dinner.

In that case, was he the one he should have refused on Lin Jiandu's behalf?

Cen Xia fell silent.

After waiting for the faint sweat in his palm to evaporate or sink into his skin and flesh, Lin Jiandu raised his eyes.

The moonlight was a little lacking that night, and the streetlights were dim.

Yet his eyes were astonishingly bright.

"It's like we're eloping."

Cen Xia: "?"

Cen Xia: "Is your brain broken?"

Lin Jiandu didn't mind and went on, "When you took my hand and walked ahead, didn't it feel like you and I were eloping?"

Cen Xia: "No. It was like a dad holding his stupid son's hand."

Lin Jiandu was momentarily at a loss for words and stared at him with a mournful look.

Cen Xia changed his tune. "Fine, eloping. I'll elope with you."

They could elope back to school, wash up and go to bed.

They still had class tomorrow.