Ch34 - (II) Habits

“Sorry. I was just spacing out.” Rong Jun muttered. “I’m fine. You’re exaggerating.”

Yan Chen looked discouraged, his nerves worn thin from anxiety. After a moment of hesitation, he decided it would be better to confess first rather than let things get worse.

“Qingqing… I’m sorry. I’m not actually a political science major.”

He paused before adding softly, “But I will be soon.”

In truth, Rong Jun didn’t care much about that. What interested him more was something else entirely.

“The classes we’ve been taking together… those weren’t coincidences, were they?”

“I asked the dean for help.”

“I thought so. There were too many coincidences.”

Yan Chen lowered his head, not daring to meet Rong Jun’s gaze. His fingers quietly reached out and gripped the corner of Rong Jun’s shirt.

Rong Jun glanced down.

Yan Chen’s fingertips had turned pale from clutching the fabric so tightly.

“Your identity.” Rong Jun muttered, those words were enough to make Yan Chen quickly snap his head up and look at him, scared.

Rong Jun sighed seeing his reaction. “I already know.”

Yan Chen felt like a cold water was poured on him. He was scared as his grip tightened.

Rong Jun’s face scrunched, seeing the ashen look on his face. Something in his chest softened for no clear reason, and the words he had intended to say suddenly slipped from his mind.

Instead, he rubbed his stomach, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’m starving. Is that restaurant far?”

Yan Chen cautiously lifted his eyes to study Rong Jun’s expression. When he saw the faint smile on his face, he slowly raised his head again.

“zE’t vSJtI. qI’SS iI EaIbI tJJw.”

“TaIw SIE’t akbbN. qI JwSN aGAI Gw aJkb iIYJbI EaI wIgE vSGtt.”

“oBGN!”

kaTJ xLJ VITJ IQPATYS ILBJ’d TcqTGdTB dIT PLddTi df qLAA Af qTLGTSUYYp.

qaGE tkbrbQtIH aQh IAIw hJbI LGt EaGE nJwV ekw LGt EaI JwI LaJ vaJtI EJ hJAI Jw YQbtE.

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wLGs dITJ, xLJ VITJ ILB qUiAUTB IQP iTYTJdYTAAYp, qUddQJN QJ GfUJdYTAA TSSfidA gTSfiT OfJN XUJ SQJLYYp LNiTTB—LSdTi PfiT dILJ L pTLi.

That was why this time, Yan Chen had kept his identity a secret.

Even the change of major and their shared classes had been arranged quietly behind the scenes.

Yet in the end, all his careful planning had been ruined by the careless words of a random passerby.

He had been certain Rong Jun would hate him again.

But Rong Jun’s reaction was the complete opposite.

Not only had he given Yan Chen an easy way out, he was even willing to have dinner with him.

The sudden happiness left Yan Chen wondering if he had stepped into a dream he had been longing for.

He stared blankly at Rong Jun’s retreating figure, still clutching a corner of his clothes.

The person he loved was standing right beside him.

And it even felt as though that person was slowly walking closer to him.

From then on, Yan Chen often found excuses to invite Rong Jun over for meals.

Rong Jun wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about cooking, so he rarely refused.

Still, he didn’t want to feel like he was freeloading, so he would occasionally invite Yan Chen to eat at his place in return.

After nearly three months of this routine, more than half of the food in Rong Jun’s refrigerator had become things that Yan Chen liked to eat.

…

At seven in the morning, the alarm clock rang.

Rong Jun slowly woke up.

He lay in bed with half-open eyes, staring at the morning light filtering through the thin white curtains.

Only after his eyes fully adjusted did he reluctantly get up and drag himself to the bathroom to wash.

Over the past three months, Yan Chen had quietly become a natural part of his daily life.

That man would cook his favorite dishes, bring him his favorite crabapples, and knock on his door every morning with a cheerful “Good morning,” asking if they could have breakfast together.

After washing up, Rong Jun felt much more awake.

He glanced at the time on his phone.

Yan Chen would be arriving soon.

So he walked to the entrance and unlocked the door.

As usual, he turned on the TV in the living room and let the morning news play in the background while he prepared breakfast for the two of them.

But when he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a few ingredients, he frowned slightly.

The ham Yan Chen liked was almost gone.

“Looks like I’ll have to go to the supermarket after school today,” he muttered to himself as he closed the refrigerator and moved back to the kitchen counter.

Just as breakfast was nearly ready, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.

Rong Jun didn’t react at all and simply continued cooking.

Yan Chen stepped inside, looking as lively as ever.

“Good morning!”

His bright smile filled the room.

Sometimes Rong Jun wondered whether Yan Chen really had the same major and classes as him.

After all, the man seemed endlessly energetic.

Still, seeing that smiling face every morning had an oddly pleasant effect.

Even the most ordinary breakfast seemed to taste better.

Yan Chen placed the canvas bag containing his textbooks on a nearby chair before walking into the kitchen to help set the table.

“Qingqing, do you want to go to the supermarket after school today? We’re running low on groceries.”

“Sure. I was planning to go anyway,” Rong Jun replied.

“The supermarket nearby doesn’t have your favorite brand of ham. Let’s go to the one on the pedestrian street.”

Yan Chen’s smile grew even brighter.

“Okay!”