Chapter 13
After those words were spoken, the dormitory fell silent.
Jiang Min stared at the two of them in shock.
In the end, Lu Xingzhou still said nothing. His cool gaze swept over Shu Baiyu before he turned and left.
The dormitory door opened and closed, and his figure disappeared from their sight.
Shu Baiyu glanced at Jiang Min, who was still caught between disbelief and doubting his own eyes, then quickly followed Lu Xingzhou.
Lu Xingzhou was probably in a poor mood, because he walked downstairs very quickly.
By the time Shu Baiyu caught up, he had already left the dormitory area.
They had not encountered the protagonist Alpha and Omega along the way, so the two had most likely already left.
Shu Baiyu felt somewhat guilty toward Lu Xingzhou. Seeing him silently walking ahead with an apparently dejected air, he hesitated before quickening his steps and grabbing him.
“Brother Lu.”
Lu Xingzhou slowed slightly and cast him a cool glance.
However, the moment he saw Shu Baiyu’s current expression, he abruptly paused. He closed his lips before he could speak and quietly waited to see what Shu Baiyu would do next.
When Shu Baiyu saw that he remained silent, he assumed Lu Xingzhou had truly been affected by what happened.
After struggling for a long while, he finally offered comfort.
“…I’ll take responsibility for this. It won’t affect you.”
This was the first time Lu Xingzhou had seen Shu Baiyu behave this way. His current attitude was entirely different from before.
Looking at his reaction, Lu Xingzhou seemed to realize something.
He lowered his voice slightly, watching Shu Baiyu’s expression from the corner of his eye.
“How will you take responsibility?”
“If any bad rumors about you spread, I’ll clarify them myself.”
Hearing this, Lu Xingzhou slowly lowered his eyelids.
“I understand.”
Although his voice remained indifferent, it somehow carried a trace of disappointment.
Shu Baiyu said, “…Sorry.”
Lu Xingzhou gave a quiet “Mm.”
After hesitating, Shu Baiyu asked, “Should I treat you to a meal?”
“Mm,” Lu Xingzhou replied. “Let’s go.”
He agreed so readily that Shu Baiyu had not even fully reacted before they had already reached the university gate.
Shu Baiyu had never seen Lu Xingzhou drive, so he opened a ride-hailing app on his phone.
However, when he saw the estimated fare, he silently canceled the request and began checking bus routes instead.
Eventually, he slowly lowered his phone.
“Let’s just eat at a restaurant nearby.”
Lu Xingzhou had watched his entire series of actions but showed no reaction.
“Anything is fine with me.”
Hearing this only made Shu Baiyu feel even guiltier. He could not bring himself to carelessly brush off the cannon-fodder Alpha like this.
Just as he prepared to spend the money and call another car, a familiar voice called his name first.
“Baiyu!”
The moment he raised his head, his gaze met Tao Xi’s as the latter approached from not far away.
Seeing Shu Baiyu’s face, Tao Xi became certain he had not mistaken him for someone else and walked toward them with a smile.
Behind him, Qi Yan, the protagonist Alpha of the original novel, also slowly approached.
Shu Baiyu: “…”
He took a deep breath and slowly lowered his phone again.
No matter how carefully he guarded against it, he could not avoid the protagonist Alpha and Omega suddenly spawning wherever they pleased.
Tao Xi failed to notice the strange atmosphere between Qi Yan and Shu Baiyu.
“What a coincidence! I was just wondering where you were and was about to look for you.”
He looked between Shu Baiyu and Lu Xingzhou.
“Are you going to eat too?”
Lu Xingzhou lowered his eyes toward Shu Baiyu. From the corner of his vision, he also noticed the awkwardness and displeasure on Qi Yan’s face.
His gaze shifted before he answered and asked:
“We are. What about you?”
“So are we!” Tao Xi said excitedly. “Since we happened to meet, why don’t we eat together?”
Qi Yan reached his side just in time to hear those words.
He immediately objected.
“No!”
Tao Xi froze and looked at him in confusion.
“…”
Qi Yan realized that his reaction had been too intense.
He calmed himself slightly, quickly glanced at Shu Baiyu, and frowned.
“Everyone may have different plans. The two of us can go by ourselves. There’s no need to disturb them.”
Hearing this, Shu Baiyu inwardly nodded in agreement.
Exactly.
The protagonist Alpha and Omega needed to spend time alone.
Dragging cannon-fodder characters along would accomplish nothing.
Tao Xi let out an “Ah,” seemingly only then realizing that Qi Yan might not know them well.
He explained, “Qi Yan, we actually met yesterday. We aren’t strangers.”
He turned toward Lu Xingzhou.
“This is Lu Xingzhou, Uncle Lu’s son. You should have met him before.”
Then he smiled toward Shu Baiyu.
“This is Baiyu. We met last night.”
As though remembering something, he asked:
“Don’t the two of you know each other?”
Shu Baiyu also fell silent at Tao Xi’s question.
They knew each other.
And the truth might surprise him.
Shu Baiyu was Qi Yan’s ex-boyfriend.
After listening to Tao Xi, Qi Yan abruptly noticed something strange.
“Last night?”
Tao Xi had told him that after returning to the country yesterday, his parents had taken him directly to the Lu residence.
Why had Shu Baiyu also been at the Lu residence?
Qi Yan’s breathing imperceptibly deepened.
He could not help remembering the rumors that had always circulated within their social circle.
The Qi and Lu families were of similar standing, and the young men of comparable age had naturally formed their own circle.
Only the people within that circle knew that the Lu and Jian families had arranged an engagement.
According to the rumors, weren’t Lu Xingzhou and Shu Baiyu completely indifferent toward each other, without the slightest affection between them?
Qi Yan instinctively asked the question aloud, only to regret it immediately afterward.
Tao Xi did not seem to have expected him to ask that, so he explained:
“You didn’t know? Brother Lu and Baiyu are engaged. Is it strange for Baiyu to be at Brother Lu’s house?”
Qi Yan fell silent.
The atmosphere became strangely quiet.
Of course he knew.
That engagement had been the reason he broke up with Shu Baiyu in the first place.
Yet for some reason, hearing someone mention it in front of him now stirred something inexplicable inside him.
His gaze unconsciously shifted toward Lu Xingzhou.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly met Lu Xingzhou’s eyes.
Qi Yan’s heart jumped.
When he looked again, however, Lu Xingzhou had already turned away, as though their brief eye contact had merely been his imagination.
At that moment, Lu Xingzhou broke the silence.
“Then let’s eat together.”
He glanced toward Shu Baiyu, who was silently looking down.
“We all have time.”
Shu Baiyu: “…”
He could not refuse.
Even if it killed him, he could not allow the cannon-fodder Alpha to ruin the romantic progression between the protagonists.
Qi Yan was also temporarily rendered speechless.
“Great!” Tao Xi was the only one genuinely excited. “Let’s get in the car!”
Several minutes later, the three of them sat inside the car Tao Xi had driven.
Watching Tao Xi eagerly rub his hands together and grip the steering wheel, Shu Baiyu quietly asked Lu Xingzhou:
“Can a foreign driver’s license be used here?”
Lu Xingzhou’s expression also changed slightly.
He said to Tao Xi, “I can drive.”
“It’s fine! I’ll do it!” Tao Xi replied.
Qi Yan, sitting in the passenger seat, silently fastened his seat belt.
Shu Baiyu said, “…I can drive too.”
This time, Tao Xi smiled somewhat bashfully.
“It’s all right. You can rest. I’ll drive.”
Fortunately, although the journey was alarming, everyone arrived at the restaurant safely.
Since they already had a reservation, a waiter led the four of them directly to their table.
The restaurant was indeed famous, and almost every seat inside was occupied.
Their reserved table happened to be beside a floor-to-ceiling window, offering a clear view of the scenery outside.
Likewise, people outside could clearly see what was happening inside.
After sitting down, Shu Baiyu’s gaze repeatedly drifted toward the pedestrians outside.
Thinking about what would happen later left him somewhat speechless.
In the original plot, this was supposed to be an excellent opportunity for the protagonist Alpha and Omega to deepen their relationship.
A handsome, wealthy Alpha and a lively, attractive Omega came to the restaurant alone for a meal.
By coincidence, several members of their university’s photography club were also shopping nearby and scouting locations.
They happened to see the two through the floor-to-ceiling window and photographed them.
That led to a string of embarrassing rumors and misunderstandings that left everyone blushing.
Now, however, the scene had forcibly become a group outing for four.
Whatever happened, the plot event still needed to occur.
Since that was the case, Shu Baiyu could not waste this opportunity.
After considering it for a while, he decided that before the people secretly taking photographs appeared, he would find an excuse to take Lu Xingzhou away and allow the protagonists to continue the plot alone.
The atmosphere among the four of them was strange.
As dishes gradually arrived at the table, Shu Baiyu began looking outside more and more frequently.
Lu Xingzhou sat beside him.
Whenever Shu Baiyu focused on the outside, Lu Xingzhou noticed his subtle movements.
However, he remained silent.
Tao Xi looked at the dishes that had arrived and passed over the menu.
“Is there anything else you want to order?”
Shu Baiyu glanced at it.
“Seafood congee…”
“Seafood congee.”
Two voices overlapped at the same time.
Shu Baiyu raised his head toward the sound and saw Qi Yan looking at him with a complicated expression.
Qi Yan seemed displeased that they had given the same answer, and his brows drew together slightly.
He knew very well that Shu Baiyu was allergic to shrimp and rarely ate seafood.
What did Shu Baiyu mean by ordering this now?
After thinking this, Qi Yan paused and looked toward Lu Xingzhou, whose face remained calm and expressionless.
Tao Xi said delightedly, “So our tastes are that similar! I like seafood congee too!”
Before Shu Baiyu could distance himself from the coincidence, Lu Xingzhou, who had remained quiet for a long time, suddenly spoke.
He took the menu from Shu Baiyu’s hand and lowered his eyelids as though speaking casually.
“Seafood congee is out. He’s allergic to shrimp.”
He then glanced at Shu Baiyu.
“Did you forget your last visit to the hospital?”
Shu Baiyu froze.
“…Oh.”
A moment later, he added:
“They can remove the shrimp.”
Lu Xingzhou looked at him without speaking, but his expression clearly rejected the idea outright.
Their tone was familiar, and their interactions were extremely natural. It was difficult for anyone else to insert themselves into the conversation.
Seeing this, Qi Yan’s expression finally changed slightly.
When had the two of them become so familiar?
Lu Xingzhou put down the menu.
“Order one seafood congee. The two of you can eat it.”
Then he glanced toward Shu Baiyu beside him.
“He can have something else.”
Shu Baiyu frowned and was about to object when someone he never expected spoke first.
“Can’t you let him choose for himself?”
All three of them turned toward Qi Yan.
Qi Yan stiffened.
He looked at Lu Xingzhou and frowned.
“If he wants it, let him have it. Just tell them to remove the shrimp.”
Hearing this, Shu Baiyu froze.
A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes. He had no idea what had gotten into the protagonist Alpha.
Lu Xingzhou directed his gaze toward Qi Yan.
His reaction remained indifferent, but whether intentionally or not, he asked:
“You know him well?”
Qi Yan abruptly froze.
Several seconds later, his complexion alternated between pale and flushed.
Lu Xingzhou’s expression did not change.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Shu Baiyu faintly frowning.
After a pause, he slowly withdrew his gaze and said calmly:
“Perhaps I’m interfering too much.”
Shu Baiyu noticed the change in his mood.
He looked between Lu Xingzhou and Qi Yan before silently choosing Lu Xingzhou’s side.
“There’s no need. I don’t have to eat seafood congee.”
Hearing this, Qi Yan took several heavy breaths.
Only after meeting Shu Baiyu’s calm and emotionless gaze did it feel as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
He and Shu Baiyu had already broken up.
There was no relationship between them.
Furthermore, Shu Baiyu had constantly pestered him, and Qi Yan clearly disliked it.
Something obscure flashed through Qi Yan’s eyes before he looked away.
“…Do whatever you want.”
Only after Shu Baiyu reached a decision did Tao Xi quietly speak.
“Um… Should we eat first?”
Shu Baiyu gave an “Mm” and glanced at Lu Xingzhou, who had made no movement beside him.
Sensing his gaze, Lu Xingzhou leaned closer and pushed the bowl and chopsticks toward him.
“Eat.”
A thin, cool sensation lightly brushed against the side of Shu Baiyu’s face.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
He lowered his eyes and answered:
“Mm.”
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