CH 20

Peijin gave a start from He Xun’s sudden appearance, after she calmed down, she was left without words.

What did he mean, “With a couple of fruits and a small cake, someone was able to seduce you?”

To have seduced her? That was an exaggeration! Clearly she had just told Meng Meng that she liked guys. Meng Meng most likely wouldn’t appear at their classroom doorway again tomorrow.

Peijin tightly closed her lips, saying innocently, “I didn’t.”

He Xun crossed his arms and spoke with a slight tone of unheeded irritation, “Didn’t? Why were you smiling so happily like that earlier if you didn’t?”

She had been smiling earlier only because she felt relieved from this burden. When it came out of He Xun’s mouth, why did she feel like the reason had changed?

Peijin’s tone was a bit cold and Peijin didn’t know why, but she was somewhat irritated. At this moment, a bit emotionally, she spitefully and directly said, “Even if my soul had been stolen by someone else, why do you care?”

It would’ve been better if Peijin hadn’t said this, as soon as she did, the look He Xun had became double the more dark.

He laughed with an ‘ah’, “It’s because of our mutual bedship (1). Why? Am I suddenly not even allowed to care about you now?”

(1) What he means, is relationship from sharing a bed

Peijin’s courage only existed for three seconds. After she had said those words of earlier resentment, she then quickly pulled the reins, terrified. And listening to what He Xun meant, he was also taking initiative to care about her, this roommate of his. Precisely by the first few words, It’s because of our mutual bedship, the more she heard it, the more it charmed her.

Peijin quickly suppressed the myriad of thoughts on her mind, and shook her head, “Of course you can.”

He Xun sounded annoyed, “Then let me ask, what’s going on between you two?”

Could it be that Peijin wanted to date them? He Xun might’ve wanted to ask from the start, but for a while, he hadn’t known how to say it. As a matter of fact, he knew that he had no right to control any of Peijin’s own affairs, he was just a sole roommate, what place did he have to ask such an intrusive question? However, when he thought about the possibility of his nerdy roommate drying someone else’s hair, cooking birthday noodles for someone else, and sleeping on the same bed with someone else, he felt extremely bothered.

Peijin’s eyes widened and she slowly said, “I just explained to her clearly, she shouldn’t be coming back tomorrow to find me again.”

He Xun paused for a few seconds, as if he had wholly never expected such a development.

After giving a brief ‘oh’, he didn’t continue talking. However the colour of his face was slightly flushed, making him finally appear less terrifying.

When Peijin went back in class, she incidentally went by before Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen had an unsightly look on his face and didn’t seem to even bat her an eye, directly passing her side.

Peijin sighed lightly, but she didn’t feel too bad.

Fate was also of great importance when making friends. In the past when she still lived in an all girls dormitory, she hadn’t built great relationships with all of her roommates. At that time she only had two close friends while living in an eight person dorm. So she wouldn’t persist in getting along with Zhang Chen any longer.

Anyhow, she already had a lot. Would everything always work out in life?

It was fine for her if she could just be friends with those she could peacefully get along with.

With this one day, the chaotic disturbance died away.

Peijin only took out her phone from her pocket again after returning to her dorm, she discovered that a few hours earlier Meng Meng had returned her text.

[ Meng Meng: … …Turns out it’s like this. ]

[ Meng Meng: You turned me down so directly, is it because you already have someone you like? ]

Peijin was startled when she saw these words.

Did she have someone she liked? There shouldn’t be..

Peijin didn’t linger on this question any more, her fingers went on to glide down and she discovered Meng Meng had sent another message over after.

[ Meng Meng: This will be a pretty difficult road to walk on. However…I wish you happiness. ]

Peijin sent back a ‘thank you’ in return.

The road she was walking on was really, pretty difficult, but it wasn’t the road Meng Meng was thinking of. Sooner or later her identity would come to light and like she had said before, toughing it out until she finished graduation was her ideal situation.

The day her downfall came, what would she be up against? What should she do then?

Deep in Peijin’s heart, she was anxious, and then afraid.

But it was useless thinking much about it now, she might as well take it step by step.

Peijin slowly exhaled. At this moment she discovered that He Xun shockingly wasn’t lying on his bed, looking at his phone, like usual.

She hadn’t been aware of this before, immersed in her own concerned thoughts, but now she found that He Xun wasn’t where he always was, her heart was sent into a panic.

While she was at her wits end over the future, only He Xun was able to bring her a sense of reassurance. However she didn’t even know where He Xun had gone to right now.

Peijin instinctively stood up,but because her movements were too wide, a long, noisy screech came from the chair.

He Xun yelled from afar, “Nerd, what’s up?”

Hearing He Xun’s voice, Peijin found that He Xun hadn’t left at all, he was still in the room.

Peijin followed the voice, probing it out bit by bit as she went over. After that, she was unexpectedly met with He Xun holding a knife in the kitchen.

She opened her mouth, “Brother Xun, what’re you doing?”

He Xun gave a light cough, but he didn’t answer Peijin’s question.

Peijin took two steps toward He Xun’s side. After she neared him, she discovered that He Xun was actually cutting fruit!

The sun has risen from the west! He Xun’s actually cutting fruit!

Peijin looked incredulously at He Xun, “Brother Xun, did you want to eat fruits? Maybe I should do it.”

A glimpse at He Xun’s posture told that he wasn’t used to knives. Not long before, He Xun had said, he would never do housework in the future. It could be inferred from those words, He Xun must’ve never done any housework, so he should’ve never handled something like a knife.

So what was going on right now?

He Xun waved his hand, his voice sounding slightly awkward, “No, you go out and sit.”

Peijin naturally didn’t dare go sit outside, how would it do if He Xun were to accidentally cut his own finger? She tilted her head, “I’m just gonna be here.”

He Xun softly coughed, but he didn’t say anything else, and went on to pick up the knife and cut the kiwi in his hand.

Peijin peeked around, and found that there was already a bowl half-full of fruits: dragonfruit, pears, oranges…plus the kiwi in He Xun’s hand. The fruits were a colorful medley, contrasting one another beautifully. Although there wasn’t anything artistic about the fruits in the bowl, as they were clearly had been casually put together, plus the cut fruits were misshapen and the cutter’s skills sucked, it still looked quite appetizing.

He Xun cut one last time, after placing the last piece of cut kiwi from the cutting board in the bowl he let out a relieved sigh.

He picked up the bowl, piled up to the brim with fruits, and gestured with his jaw at Peijin, “Here, take it and eat it.”

Peijin thought she had heard wrong when she heard these words.

These fruits, could they have been prepared for her?

Peijin pointed at herself, asking in disbelief, “Brother Xun, this is for me?”

“Yes,”

Peijin’s heart slowly swelled with emotion.

The He Xun who had once said he would absolutely never do housework, never coax others, had unexpectedly, especially cut a whole bowl of fruits for her. She truly was surprised, and touched.

She took the bowl, and ate a small orange piece. The orange tasted sweet, it’s refreshing, sweet scent spread throughout her mouth, besieging Peijin’s entire person with it’s sweet sensation.

Peijin drooped her eyes so that He Xun wouldn’t see the slight wetness at the edges of her eyes. She had believed she wasn’t considered a very emotional person, but when she saw Great Young Master He personally pick up a knife to cut fruits for her, she felt, this friend hadn’t been made in vain, this calf, she hadn’t hugged it in vain. (1)

(1) In reference to a Chinese saying called, ‘hugging a golden calf’, meaning to get close to someone to reap the benefits of their good luck, fortune, wealth, etc.

He Xun raised an eyebrow at her, “I took off all of the oranges’ peels, how is it, taste good?”

Peijin rose up with a radiant and enchanting smile, “Yummy.” Although the fruits were still fruits, what mattered the most was the sincere feelings of the person who had cut them.

He Xun moved nonchalantly as he patted her head, “Your Brother He is an all-round decathlon.” (1)

(1) Alternatively in English, “Your Brother He can do it all.” A decathlon is an athletic competition in which participants must undergo ten track/field events. Academically, it is a ten-event competition that high school students in teams go to, pertaining to a wide range of topics such as english, economics, debate & speech, math, etc.

Peijin desperately tried to stop herself from laughing. Cutting fruits was actually something most people would say was easy, but for someone like Great Master He who didn’t have to lift a finger (1), it was actually a great challenge. She rushed to flatter him, “Yes, yes, my Brother Xun is the greatest.”

(1) The actual saying is a verse from a poem, which says, “Their ten fingers do not touch the spring waters”, referring to how a person does not need to personally wash their clothes in the icy March waters. Essentially, it means that a person has the privilege of living comfortably without doing housework.

The corners of He Xun’s lips lifted into a smile, he said confidently, “Just wait, tomorrow I’ll bake a cake for you.”

Peijin was taken aback by these words, “Ah?”

Bake a cake? Why did he suddenly want to make a cake? Even though it was slow to come, Peijin realized it at last. He Xun couldn’t be purposefully challenging Meng Meng?

In the past Meng Meng had sent her fruits, and then a small cake, He Xun was actually doing the same right now.

Peijin opened to say, slight hesitance in her voice, “He Xun, you… ..”

He Xun must’ve known that his methods were a bit childish too, to have gone so far as to copy a young girl’s schemes. In his heart he felt ashamed, so he uncomfortably turned away and lightly coughed, awkwardly saying, “Nerd, right now I’m doing this for your own good, so that in the future you don’t carelessly get abducted.”

Pejin was somewhat unconvinced, muttering under her breath, “How could I be so easily abducted?”

He Xun sneered, crossing his arms over his chest, “Weren’t you extremely happy when you received fruits and a small cake?”

Where had she been happy, her face had clearly been blank, unable to process what had happened.

However Peijin didn’t continue to refute him, because she was really happy right now!

She passed the bowl of fruits in front of He Xun, “Brother He, you’re not going to have some?”

“No, it’s all for you.”

“Oh.”

As Peijin thought about how much of this were He Xun’s good intentions, answering homework exercises while eating fruits, she had unconsciously finished the entire bowl fo fruits.

As a matter of fact the first time Meng Meng had given her that box of fruits, she hadn’t eaten much of it. After she had entered the classroom with the fruits that Meng Meng had given her, several students crowded around her, Liu Ze (1) had even directly proclaimed, “I want to eat it too, give me some.”

(1) Bully who makes an appearance in Ch 6.

The other students had aggressively grabbed at it. One for you, one for me and in the end, she had only actually eaten one piece of it.

Although she was quite apologetic to Meng Meng because of this, it was still her who sent the fruits, and Peijin wasn’t really hurt over it being eaten by other people. If someone were to snatch at the fruits He Xun had cut for her, she would be extremely angry.

Peijin didn’t take eating a bowl of fruits seriously. In any case, eating a bit of fruits once in a while shouldn’t have any other problems beyond high sugar intake.

Seeing Peijin being so appreciative(1), the cloudy look that had been on He Xun’s face for a long time finally reverted completely back to his usual expression.

(1) Supportive as in terms of praise, like an audience being appreciative of an actor’s performance and singing praises afterward, being very supportive, etc.

Once Peijin finished today’s exam papers, she washed up and went to bed.

However not long after she had got in bed, her stomach started to churn.

Her stomach had never hurt so bad before and a strong premonition in her heart told her that her great aunt (1) would be coming soon.

(1) period

As expected, she shouldn’t have been greedy and eaten too many cold foods!

Once eaten, her Great Aunt would pay her visit ahead of time!