The temperature difference between day and night in Jing City was significant, and the evening wind carried a chill that hinted at early winter, stinging the nose as it crept in.
Especially since Liu Duanhe had dressed lightly today, he covered his mouth and nose, turning his head to sneeze involuntarily.
Feng Xingyun, walking beside him, hesitated for a moment upon seeing this, then lightly nudged him with his elbow. “Want a jacket?”
He added, “I just changed into it at noon; I’ve only worn it for the afternoon.” He had just finished an hour-and-a-half basketball game, with intense running and jumping that left him overheated, so he couldn’t be bothered to put the jacket back on and had it stowed in his bag.
Liu Duanhe smiled slightly and replied politely, “Sure, thank you.”
Once he put on the jacket, it was indeed no longer as cold as before. His mismatched outfit surprisingly didn’t look out of place, fashion, after all, is truly completed by one’s face and figure.
Feng Xingyun, relieved that he hadn’t been turned down, couldn’t help but invite, “We’re having a team dinner later. Want to come along?”
Liu Duanhe’s eyes showed a hint of apology as he declined, “Sorry, I need to head home tonight. My family has something for me.”
He raised a hand to adjust his slightly slipping glasses. His memory told him they were in a romantic relationship, but Liu Duanhe felt they were still in the early stages of dating and not very familiar with each other, so he kept his tone formal.
Feng Xingyun, however, didn’t mind. Being declined actually gave him a sense of reality, since in just these few days, they had already become this close, more frequent interactions than the total of the past year-plus combined.
They walked through the small garden, and since both were heading out of the school gate, they could still share part of the route. Liu Duanhe took out his phone to check the bus schedule; the next one departed in ten minutes.
Feng Xingyun made casual conversation, “You’re not going back to the dorm tonight?”
He nodded. “Mm, I asked my counselor for leave this evening.”
Their school had this one peculiar rule: before junior year, students weren’t allowed to live off-campus and had to return to the dorms at night, with unannounced bed checks. Getting caught meant being penalized for an unexcused overnight absence, and if you had a reason not to stay in the dorm, you had to get permission from the counselor.
Fortunately, that grueling period would end after junior year. Liu Duanhe couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.
If it weren’t for not wanting to waste time, he would have retaken the college entrance exam and chosen that other top university that had called him back then. A single moment’s lapse in judgment had led to this.
He squeezed his fingers and suddenly felt his nose itch, craving a cigarette. He’d picked up smoking in college.
Even though he had been strictly trained as an heir since childhood, when he actually started managing a company and testing his abilities, he couldn’t help but feel the pressure mount. Especially when, shortly after joining the company, he was handed a major project directly under his father’s influence, often pulling all-nighters to keep up with the schedule.
Both his cleanliness obsession and smoking habit had started back then. The cleanliness thing was manageable, but smoking was truly harmful to his health. He’d been controlling his smoking frequency, and as his cleanliness obsession grew stronger over time, it actually offset his nicotine craving. In the past six months, he rarely touched cigarettes and was nearly ready to quit.
Liu Duanhe adjusted his glasses again, his long lashes lowering as he suppressed the urge.
He truly hated, even loathed, things that were addictive and made you lose control, whether it was cigarettes or alcohol.
As his emotions stirred, the urge to wash his hands surged up. The hand that had touched other things had touched his glasses. So dirty.
Liu Duanhe clenched his slender, fair hand, almost able to imagine the pleasant sensation of cool water flowing over his fingertips, but there was nowhere to wash his hands in the outdoor space where they stood.
Feng Xingyun had already noticed his repeated, unnecessary movements and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”