21 – Eating Pig Trotters Together
Whenever the topic of injuries came up, Jin Zhi would always comply.
This was something Fu Yao had completely figured out.
However, it also showed that Jin Zhi was genuinely a good kid, very responsible.
But Fu Yao was still puzzled about the secret behind his refusal to be touched. She always felt it wasn’t because she had abandoned him back then.
As someone who also struggled with mental illness, she had some understanding of psychiatric conditions.
Most mental illnesses stem from related traumas—for example, selective amnesia arises from intense emotional upheaval caused by a specific person or event, or her own bipolar disorder resulted from the environment she grew up in.
As for the condition of refusing physical contact, it was likely due to prolonged exposure to some form of malicious contact or an extremely traumatic experience in a short period that left a psychological scar.
Fu Yao wanted to know, but she couldn’t ask directly, as doing so could cause severe physical and psychological discomfort for the patient.
Fu Yao knew she was a flawed person, but Jin Zhi was different to her. She wanted to save him.
…
The two arrived at the school cafeteria.
Fu Yao had already become the talk of the school by noon. With her delicate, lotus-like beauty and tall, graceful demeanor, it was impossible for her not to stand out as an unforgettable presence in the crowd.
As for Jin Zhi, it went without saying. Even though everyone knew he had issues, no one could deny that this boy, who had just started high school, was exceptionally good-looking.
His features were sharp and deep-set, his eyes piercing and intense. In every other way, he embodied the clear, handsome image of the boy in every girl’s fantasies.
The only thing was, his hair was untidy and uneven, almost covering his eyes, giving him an especially gloomy appearance.
“Why are these two walking to the cafeteria together… I’m confused.”
“I heard the mad dog bit the goddess before, and it was pretty bad. That’s probably how they met.”
“But the goddess shouldn’t be coming with the mad dog. It’s best to stay as far away as possible. Who knows when he’ll go crazy again?”
“Let’s not say too much. Jin Zhi might not be as bad as you think. A few days ago, he was falsely accused of stealing money and ended up covering the five hundred himself. It only came to light today that it wasn’t him.”
…
To Jin Zhi, the voices of the crowd felt like nails hammering him to a cross for judgment.
It filled him with immense humiliation.
He walked behind Fu Yao with his head lowered, watching the girl in front of him and feeling that the two of them belonged to different worlds.
She had returned to her own world eleven years ago.
He didn’t know why she had come back into his life now.
What good did it do for them to stand together, except to make her suffer alongside him?
He shouldn’t have agreed to come with her.
He wanted to leave again.
Just then, Fu Yao’s soft voice reached his ears:
“What others say is their business. What we do is ours. Why should we care so much about other people’s opinions? We live for ourselves. If I don’t mind, why should you?”
Jin Zhi looked up at the girl in surprise. She still wore that sweet smile, as if it could heal everything.
His urge to flee vanished. He nodded and softly replied, “Mm.”
He asked, “What… do you want to eat?”
Fu Yao replied, “Whatever you get for me, I’ll eat.”
Jin Zhi said, “Oh.”
After the two found a seat, Jin Zhi went to get the food.
Since they arrived quite late, most people were already eating, and only a few were still getting their meals, so Jin Zhi managed without much trouble.
Jin Zhi handed Fu Yao her tray, and she glanced at the dishes he had chosen for her.
A whole braised pig’s trotter, boneless chicken feet, stir-fried beef tendons, and some cabbage.
Fu Yao: (??_??)
It was a lavish spread, but something felt a bit off.
Then she looked at Jin Zhi’s tray—it was all vegetarian dishes.
Fu Yao looked up and said, “You…”
Jin Zhi scratched the back of his head sheepishly, his eyes fixed on the meat on Fu Yao’s plate. He couldn’t help but swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
“Eat… what nourishes what.”
“…Pfft.”
Fu Yao couldn’t hold back her laughter, bursting out unexpectedly.
Sorry, she was professionally trained and usually wouldn’t laugh unless something was genuinely hilarious.
How could this little wolf cub be so adorable? “Eat what nourishes what,” really? Giving her such a feast of trotters and claws was just… laughable.
Fu Yao quietly divided more than half of the meat from her bowl and gave it to Jin Zhi, saying, “You should nourish yourself too.”
Jin Zhi asked curiously, “Nourish… what?”
There was nothing wrong with his hands, so why should he eat trotters?
Fu Yao chuckled, “Nourish your body. You’re as skinny as a skeleton. Guys look best with a bit of meat on them. How can you survive on just vegetables?”
Fu Yao looked especially beautiful when she smiled, particularly her eyes, which were always full of life. But when she smiled—it was impossible to find words to describe how lovely she looked.
Jin Zhi stared, his face flushing and heating up, and he lowered his head to eat quietly.
People around them watched the two and couldn’t help but think—
This is actually kind of sweet?
How absurd.
Why wasn’t the situation playing out as they expected?
They had assumed it would be Jin Zhi trying to win Fu Yao over.
Instead, they saw undeniable affection from Fu Yao toward him.
It was even a little… shippable.
No!
Wake up! Wake up! The beauty belongs to everyone! How can you ship such an odd couple?!
Fu Yao watched Jin Zhi eat. He devoured his food ravenously, hardly an elegant sight.
But in Fu Yao’s eyes, it was utterly endearing.
It reminded her of the day they first met, when this little wolf cub, just as the orphanage director was about to enter, grabbed a piece of spare ribs and ran outside while eating.
Now the little wolf cub had grown so much, but he was still just as adorable.
Fu Yao watched but didn’t forget to eat herself.
She ate at a leisurely pace, her posture always straight and elegant, like a graceful white swan. Watching her eat felt like a treat in itself.
Jin Zhi happened to glance over and was mesmerized. He stared a little longer, but a shadow flickered in his eyes, and his movements slowed.
Fu Yao noticed this detail but didn’t know how to bring it up. Instead, she changed the subject and asked, “By the way, I remember the orphanage director was later arrested for gambling… What happened after that? Were you adopted?”
Bang—!
The moment the words left her mouth, Jin Zhi slammed both hands on the table and stood up. His pupils contracted sharply, his head lowered, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably, radiating fear and anger.
Everyone was startled by the sudden noise, their gazes shifting toward the source.
The convergence of various stares intensified Jin Zhi’s emotions.
“Hah…”
“Huff…”
His breathing grew unbearably heavy, his emotions teetering on the brink of losing control!
Yet this time, the loss of control was not like before—not an explosion… but a deep, profound silence, an extreme stillness that felt even more terrifying in its subtlety.