The terror on Jiang Shu’s face instantly turned to shock.
He turned his head toward Ling An, looking utterly incredulous.
Receiving that shocked yet adorable little expression from the little villain, Ling An was instantly charmed.
His gaze lingered on Jiang Shu’s face, and seeing the bruise on Jiang Shu’s forehead, Ling An found it an eyesore no matter how he looked at it.
Meanwhile, the two men who had been knocked to the ground by the food tray were groaning as they picked themselves up.
Their bodies and faces were covered in food, looking utterly wretched.
They stood up and turned around, trying to sneak away.
“Stop right there!”
Ling An’s light shout froze both of them in place.
This time, it was the two of them whose bodies went rigid.
They slowly turned their heads, looking at Ling An in unison.
“Why are you standing so far away? Come here.”
Hearing Ling An call them over, cold sweat broke out densely across Zhao Jian and Wen Liu’s foreheads.
But they still obediently walked over to Ling An and stood before him.
Ling An gave them a cold glance before speaking: “Do you know who I am?”
It was a very chuunibyou thing to say, but to their ears, it wasn’t funny at all.
Of course they knew who Ling An was and not just them; anyone who moved in the underworld knew him.
You could say that if some underworld boss had never dealt with Ling An, it only meant they weren’t qualified yet.
How could they possibly not know such a ruthless man? Besides, Ling An had only recently been in the news, how could they be stupid enough to forget so quickly?
A single food tray had sent them flying. It seemed what people said was true: Ling An was extremely brutal.
The two of them had originally refused to believe it, thinking that Ling An was just one man, what could he possibly do to them?
But now, meeting Ling An’s eyes, a chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to the tops of their heads, making them tremble with fear.
The two exchanged glances, neither daring to speak.
“Looks like you do know who I am? Quite bold of you, coming here to ruin my meal.”
Hearing this, the two frantically waved their hands and hurriedly explained:
“No, no, we weren’t trying to ruin your meal. We just came to find our brothers.”
“Yeah, yeah, we were just looking for friends. We didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Ling An watched them scramble to explain, not taking in a single word.
Impatiently, he rubbed his forehead, pointed at the tray on the ground, and said coldly: “Stop talking. Apologize to the tray you just smashed it with your faces.”
“Apologize to it right here. Say ‘sorry’ a thousand times before you leave.”
With that, Ling An took Jiang Shu’s hand and walked out of the cafeteria, heading toward the small supermarket.
Watching Ling An actually leave with Jiang Shu, Zhao Jian and Wen Liu exchanged a look, then both stared at the tray on the ground.
After struggling internally for over ten minutes, and recalling Ling An’s past exploits, they realized that by comparison, they had actually gotten off very lightly.
Gritting their teeth, the two began loudly apologizing to the tray.
Even after being led to the small supermarket, Jiang Shu was still in a daze.
Worried that the little villain had been frightened silly, Ling An reached out and waved his hand in front of him.
Jiang Shu came back to his senses but not entirely.
He went from staring blankly at the things around him to staring blankly at Ling An.
Ling An brushed aside the hair covering Jiang Shu’s eyes, and meeting those exquisite peach-blossom eyes, couldn’t help but smile.
That smile was imprinted directly onto Jiang Shu’s heart.
Such a gentle smile, on the young man’s handsome face, was so bright and captivating.
For a moment, Jiang Shu couldn’t hear the noise of the small supermarket anymore, all he could see was Ling An’s bright, sunny smile.
“You bookworm, did I scare you silly?”
Ever since Jiang Shu had been given the nickname “bookworm,” everything he heard was full of malice and mockery.
But this time, for the first time, Jiang Shu didn’t detect any malice instead, he sensed a trace of affection.
The words pulled Jiang Shu back to his senses, and he dazedly said that he hadn’t been scared silly.
Seeing that the little villain really hadn’t been frightened, Ling An breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and went into the supermarket, coming out with two big bags of snacks.
He handed the lighter bag to the little villain to carry, then had him lead the way back to the dorm.
Back at the dorm, Ling An tossed the snacks onto the desk and prepared to take an afternoon nap.
That shabby, desolate bed was indeed Jiang Shu’s, it suited his pitiful little persona perfectly.
When Ling An had looked that morning, there had only been a small water stain on the bed, but now, upon returning, the whole bed was soaked.
Jiang Shu, however, seemed long accustomed to it.
Calmly, he took down the quilt and mat, wrung out the dripping water, and hung them on the balcony.
His movements were smooth and practiced, and he was done in no time.
After hanging up the quilt, Jiang Shu turned around and met Ling An’s eyes.
His heart stirred, and he walked over to Ling An and said a single word: “Thank you.”
That was all Jiang Shu could say, he had nothing else.
At the thought, Jiang Shu’s hands tightened.
Ling An knew what he was thanking him for, and with a wicked grin, he reached out and touched Jiang Shu’s face.
Because Jiang Shu’s life was a two-point-one-line routine either in the classroom or at the noodle shop, he hadn’t been out in the sun in two years, and his skin was extremely fair.
Even up close, Ling An couldn’t find a single flaw.
Stroking Jiang Shu’s face, he said with a wicked smile, “You don’t need to thank me. Do you know how good-looking you are? Especially your eyes, I really like them.”
As he spoke, he brushed aside Jiang Shu’s hair and looked into his eyes.
Jiang Shu hadn’t expected Ling An to say such a thing, but thinking back on it…
It seemed Ling An’s attitude toward him had changed ever since he first saw his face.
Jiang Shu had also heard stories about Ling An around class.
He knew Ling An came from a wealthy family.
Someone like him surely had no shortage of people throwing themselves at him.
There were certainly plenty of people better looking than Jiang Shu, so why had he been chosen?
…
In that moment, a thousand thoughts ran through Jiang Shu’s mind.
He knew exactly what he was thinking, and he knew his thoughts would lead to no good end.
But even if things turned out badly, how much worse could they possibly get?
That warmth of being cared for by someone was the deepest longing of his heart. Even if he could only have it for a little while, that would be enough.
“I’m willing!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Shu’s face flushed red all the way down to his neck.
Ling An was stunned.
Huh? The villain was this cooperative? He hadn’t even started sweet-talking him yet, and it had already worked?
But since he’d won himself a beauty, Ling An couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it.
He stood up, wrapped an arm around Jiang Shu’s waist, and pulled him into his embrace.
He happened to press against Jiang Shu’s injury, making him suck in a sharp breath.
But he endured it, forcing himself not to cry out.
Feeling the person in his arms trembling slightly, Ling An’s heart ached at once.
He pulled open Jiang Shu’s clothes and saw a large patch of bruising across that fair, slender back.
The wounds on Jiang Shu’s back made Ling An’s eyes darken involuntarily, nameless thoughts churning in their depths.
Jiang Shu didn’t resist, letting Ling An look at the injuries on his back.
Nestled against Ling An’s broad, sturdy chest, Jiang Shu felt the warmth radiating from his body.
Seeing the tenderness in Ling An’s eyes, Jiang Shu felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.