OAS 12

By the time they came out of the restroom, it was nearly five. Dinner time was approaching, and after what had just happened, neither of them had the mind to keep studying. They packed up their things and left the library together.

After doing something that filthy in the sacred halls of knowledge, He Ziwei could hardly lift his head. The tips of his ears were still burning red and hadn’t cooled at all. He was convinced someone must have seen what happened. If anyone on the street so much as looked at him a second too long, he flinched. He kept worrying they would spot some trace left behind on his clothes.

Compared to him, Tang Zhou was outrageously composed. He strolled through campus like he owned the place, every step relaxed, as if he were taking a walk through his own private garden. Halfway through, he even said, “How about we grab dinner together?”

He Ziwei of course wanted nothing to do with that. “Probably not a good idea. My clothes are dirty. I should go change.”

He Ziwei was a clean freak. He kept up his personal hygiene and had even forced a chore rotation schedule on their dorm during freshman year. That was one of the reasons he had clashed so hard with Tang Zhou back then. Even so, as a former poster boy for slobby straight guys, Tang Zhou could at least appreciate where he was coming from.

“In that case, let’s head back to the dorm and change first,” he said.

“No—” He Ziwei barely got the word out before noticing Tang Zhou’s face darken again. What the hell was with this guy and his temper lately? He couldn’t figure it out, but every time Tang Zhou got angry, he was the one who paid for it. He clenched his teeth and forced a smile for the sake of his own survival.

“Actually… this is fine.”

Tang Zhou’s expression softened a little. He nodded, satisfied, and started walking toward the dorms. He Ziwei trailed behind, feeling so miserable he wanted to break out into song.

The north wind blows, and the snow falls down…

He was now not only warming Tang Zhou’s bed, but also joining him for food and drinks. He’d completed the full trifecta of escort services. What if Tang Zhou got bold next time and asked him to spend the whole night? Would he ever see hope again?

No matter how slow He Ziwei walked, he still ended up on the road to dinner. The weather was nice today. The sun wasn’t harsh, and there was a cool breeze. Tang Zhou was in a good mood and even offered to treat him to something decent. He Ziwei thought it over, then pointedly chose a Japanese restaurant on the same street as that private kitchen place they had gone to last time.

Two grown men going out for sushi might have seemed a bit strange, but the place had beautiful plating and, more importantly, was famous for being expensive and stingy with portions. He Ziwei had made up his mind to eat until he exploded, determined to drain Tang Zhou’s wallet.

He, the guest, made a big show of desperately craving Japanese food, and the one footing the bill had no excuse to turn it down. They headed toward the restaurant, walking one in front of the other in mutual silence, keeping a careful distance so the trip wouldn’t feel too awkward.

But clearly, today was He Ziwei’s personal Friday the Thirteenth. His beautiful dream of bankrupting Young Master Tang was shattered halfway there. Tang Zhou, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He Ziwei looked past him and saw a man and a woman struggling near the roadside, about twenty meters away. That woman, wasn’t that Song Shiyue?

He Ziwei had long since given up any real feelings for Song Shiyue. After facing reality, that little crush had faded into nothing more than a fond admiration for a beautiful girl. But seeing his former goddess being harassed in public stirred something in him. Song Shiyue looked flustered and distressed, clearly struggling to free herself from the man’s grip. No matter how things stood now, he couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. He had to step in.

He had barely rolled up one sleeve before Song Shiyue caught sight of them and called out, “Tang Zhou!”

Tang Zhou frowned but didn’t say anything. He walked over and grabbed the guy’s arm, forcing him to let go. Song Shiyue slipped behind him immediately.

The two clearly knew each other. He Ziwei took a few steps forward, unsure whether to get involved or not, when he heard the guy scoff. He was furious, and the words out of his mouth were sharp and nasty.

“No wonder you wanted to break up with me. What now? You two back together again?”

Tang Zhou gave him a calm look. He neither confirmed nor denied it. Song Shiyue’s face went pale with anger, but she didn’t dare speak up. She only called out softly, “Tang Zhou,” her voice tight and close to tears.

Only then did Tang Zhou respond, his tone flat. “Yuan Xiao. That’s enough. End things clean.”

Yuan Xiao’s face twisted darker. “Clean? I spent all that money on her, and she dumps me with a fucking text?”

“You paid because you wanted to.” Tang Zhou glanced at him lazily. “If you’re a man, at least break up with some dignity. Don’t act like a little bitch.”

Yuan Xiao’s expression turned pitch black. Before leaving, he still had to throw out a threat. “You’d better watch it.”

Tang Zhou stood still and watched him go, not saying another word.

Only after the whole mess ended did anyone remember He Ziwei was still standing there. Song Shiyue gave Tang Zhou a shy, grateful look before turning to He Ziwei with a smile full of embarrassment.

“Thanks… for helping. Sorry you had to see that. Let me treat you two to dinner.”

Before He Ziwei could answer, Tang Zhou shut her down.

“No need. I’m eating with my roommate.”

Song Shiyue’s smile faltered. She hesitated. “I just… I’m worried he might come back.”

The whole situation already made He Ziwei feel awkward, and now it was painfully obvious he didn’t belong here. He quickly said, “I’ll head back to campus.”

Tang Zhou turned and stared at him with a look of displeasure. After a few seconds, he frowned and said, “Sorry. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“It’s fine. No worries.” He Ziwei waved him off and turned to walk away.

After a while, he couldn’t help glancing back. Tang Zhou and Song Shiyue were walking side by side, not too close, but still in step. It looked harmonious. He Ziwei had seen them together plenty of times before. He should have been used to it by now. But today, for some reason, it hit him harder than ever.

He couldn’t figure out what the feeling was, and he didn’t want to try. The whole day had worn him out. His Japanese feast was ruined, his lavish dinner gone. He wasn’t even hungry anymore. When he got back to the dorm, he collapsed straight onto his bed.

Just before he closed his eyes, he thought, next time Tang Zhou offers to treat him again, he’s going to order Japanese. He’ll make sure to eat back every last bite of what he missed today.