Chapter 2
Chen Ju wanted to catch up with Jiang Zhou and talk to him a little longer, but by the time he finished tidying his backpack and looked toward the door, Jiang Zhou had already gone out.
A wave of disappointment washed over Chen Ju. Hugging his backpack, he slowly walked out.
“What took you so long?” a familiar voice called. Chen Ju looked up in surprise. It was Jiang Zhou! He was actually waiting for him.
“M-my backpack was open, so I was putting my things away,” Chen Ju said slowly, sneaking a cautious glance at Jiang Zhou.
He wanted to look at him a little longer, because after tonight, he wouldn’t get to see him again.
Jiang Zhou’s gaze seemed to linger on the backpack for a few seconds. Then he turned and said coolly, “Hurry up.”
“Oh, okay.” Suppressing his excitement, Chen Ju followed behind Jiang Zhou.
The banquet had already begun, and several dishes had been served. The moment Chen Ju entered the private room, his attention was drawn to the fragrant food. He stared fixedly at the dishes on the table and swallowed quietly.
Everything looked delicious. There were only about a dozen people here. Could they really finish all this food?
“Brother Zhou, over here!” A chubby man with glasses waved them over, calling warmly, “Everyone’s been waiting for you!”
Chen Ju stole a glance at Jiang Zhou, then moved aside of his own accord and found a seat in the corner. The people at the table chatted animatedly, while Chen Ju sat alone in the corner.
But Chen Ju didn’t feel lonely. His eyes and heart were fixed on the roasted chicken leg in front of him. He swallowed, then looked toward Jiang Zhou, who was standing beside the chubby man with glasses, saying something with a smile Chen Ju had never seen before.
Jiang Zhou wasn’t an absolute iceberg. He could smile and joke around—just not with Chen Ju.
A sour feeling bubbled up in Chen Ju’s heart, like fizzing soda. He was jealous again. Back in high school, Jiang Zhou would often be laughing and chatting with someone one moment, only to turn into a cold-faced iceberg the instant he saw Chen Ju.
Back then, Chen Ju had feared nothing. Whenever he got jealous, he’d immediately fly into a rage, charge up to Jiang Zhou, and threaten him into smiling at him, then take a picture with his phone and gloat.
Afterward, he would look at those photos alone. Without exception, Jiang Zhou’s smile in every picture was stiff, and his gaze was cold.
Now, even when he felt jealous, he couldn’t do anything. All he could do was lower his head and force himself not to look over there. The chicken leg that had seemed so tempting a moment ago suddenly lost all appeal.
A chair creaked as it was pulled out beside him. Chen Ju’s heart gave a thump, and he looked over.
“Why are you sitting here all by yourself? With such a big table, why not catch up with your classmates?” Li Qi sat down, unpacking his cutlery as he spoke.
Chen Ju pulled his forlorn gaze away and said slowly, “I, I want to eat this roasted chicken leg.”
“What?” Li Qi looked at the chicken leg, then at Chen Ju, and burst out laughing. “The turntable on this table rotates. You can eat from anywhere!”
Chen Ju hadn’t known the table could rotate. For all these years, he’d eaten alone, curled up in a tiny room. He’d never eaten at a table.
His cheeks grew hot. Chen Ju clutched the hem of his oversized clothes and blinked his dry eyes. His damp eyelashes curled into his eyes again, making them itch.
The chair on the other side was pulled out with a soft creak. Someone sat down beside him, and Chen Ju hurriedly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Brother Zhou, why are you sitting here?” Li Qi’s voice rang out. “I thought you’d sit over there with Fatty!”