Still Frame Chapter 18
byChapter 18 Inorganic (2)
The food at this expensive restaurant was quite mediocre, at least for Zhang Liuxin. Most of the dishes were not to his taste. Tian Ke, however, loved it. Since the food arrived, he had taken many photos, sharing them with someone unknown, constantly tapping on his keyboard and chatting.
The other roommate noticed Zhang Liuxin hadn’t eaten much and asked if the food wasn’t to his liking.
“It’s fine, I can eat it.”
The roommate asked him, “But since you’re half Bernlinian, you should be more used to Bernlin cuisine. I haven’t seen any Bernlin specialty restaurants in Huan City, though.”
Zhang Liuxin forked the last piece of ham, ate it, and smiled. “I grew up in Yinzhou, so it’s actually been a long time since I had Bernlin cuisine. Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
I should anonymously give this restaurant a bad review on the campus forum when I get back, Zhang Liuxin thought while drying his hands.
Just as he was about to turn and leave the restroom, he heard a familiar male voice coming from the hallway behind him.
“Young Master Lü, did Brother Zhuo dislike the food here? Why did he leave early?”
The voice was slightly warm and magnetic, with a slight upward lilt at the end, the articulation wrapped in a sense of composure, revealing an air of pampered nobility.
Zhang Liuxin knew very well that this was Zhang Qiannan’s voice.
So he took two steps back, accidentally bumping into a tall vase in the corner of the restroom, which made a sudden, loud noise.
The conversation in the hallway instantly stopped. Zhang Liuxin quickly entered a stall and closed the door.
“If Chairman Yue hadn’t told him to integrate more into the campus environment, he wouldn’t come to a restaurant like this. The taste definitely wouldn’t suit him,” the person called “Young Master Lü” said lazily after a pause. “And you should stop calling him Brother Zhuo in front of him. He doesn’t like outsiders calling him that.”
Zhang Qiannan spoke again, the warmth in his voice slightly diminished, sounding a bit ingratiating. “I’m not exactly an outsider, am I…”
Young Master Lü chuckled but didn’t reply.
Listening to the voices gradually fade until they completely disappeared, Zhang Liuxin finally opened the door and came out, his heart still beating fast.
When he returned to his seat, he looked through the glass window and saw a black luxury car parked outside. He recognized it—it was the Zhang family’s car. The driver was respectfully opening the door for Zhang Qiannan.
The Young Master Lü walked toward a heavy motorcycle parked nearby, propped one foot on the ground, swung onto the seat, put on his helmet, twisted the throttle, and the engine roared conspicuously. Soon, the bike vanished stylishly down the street.
Pulling his gaze back, Zhang Liuxin was still thinking about what Zhang Qiannan had just said, and that phrase, “Brother Zhuo.” He had heard Zhang Jiming mention it and knew it was Wen Jin’s name. So, did that mean Wen Jin… had also been dining here just now?
Tian Ke waved a hand in front of him. “Liuxin, what are you thinking about so seriously?”
“Nothing. Are you done eating? If so, let’s go.”
Back at the dorm, Zhang Liuxin came out after showering and saw an extra person in the room. It was Li Xingzhou. He had changed into loungewear, his fringe hanging down, making him look more youthful than during the day. His skin was impossibly flawless. Seeing Zhang Liuxin, he smiled, showing his two canine teeth. “Liuxin.”
Before Zhang Liuxin could speak, Tian Ke, sitting at his desk, exclaimed in surprise, “How do you two know each other?”
“We met today during registration. We were sitting together, didn’t you notice?”
Zhang Liuxin walked past Li Xingzhou, who casually slung an arm over his shoulder like a buddy. “I feel like Liuxin and I have a lot of affinity.”
Tian Ke laughed and punched his shoulder. “You social butterfly. Liuxin might not even want to have affinity with you.”
“Have you known each other all along?”
Zhang Liuxin wasn’t used to this kind of physical contact with someone he had just met and shifted his shoulder uncomfortably. Li Xingzhou quickly noticed, let go, and said, “Yeah, we were classmates in middle and high school. We’ve known each other for years.”
Tian Ke said, “That’s right. This guy has been like a delicate flower since he was little, attracting everyone. He charms people wherever he goes.”
Li Xingzhou feigned displeasure. “You’re exposing all my secrets the moment you arrive, aren’t you? I’ll tell you guys, Tian Ke was caught writing a love letter in middle school, and he was so embarrassed he didn’t come to class for a week. The homeroom teacher finally had to visit his house to ‘invite’ him back.”
The two bickered and joked for a while, and Zhang Liuxin sincerely remarked, “You two have a really good relationship.”
Tian Ke grabbed a bottle of soda from the desk and tossed it to Li Xingzhou. “Yeah, I’m probably the one who knows Young Master Li best.”
“Stop flattering yourself,” Li Xingzhou said. He then noticed the book on Zhang Liuxin’s desk and said happily, “Liuxin, you read this too? I’m following the serialization, but I’ve only read the first volume. I haven’t bought the second one yet.”
Few people still read physical books, especially someone like Li Xingzhou, who had entered society and started working in his youth. Zhang Liuxin took the second volume from the shelf and handed it to him. “It has some of my annotations, so it might be a bit messy. If you don’t mind, you can read mine.”
Li Xingzhou said, “Great, thank you. The third volume is out too. The school library might have it. Want to go check it out together?”
Li Xingzhou was as enthusiastic as a small sun. Talking to him made Zhang Liuxin feel a sense of being warmed, almost scorched.
He wasn’t very good at refusing people, so he said, “Okay.”
“Then let’s exchange contact info first,” Li Xingzhou offered his phone. After scanning the code, he said regretfully, “Why don’t you have a profile picture?”
“I don’t take many selfies.”
After Li Xingzhou left, Tian Ke leaned over and asked him, “Liuxin, are you two really meeting for the first time? That Li Xingzhou is usually quite arrogant. I’ve never seen him actively try to make friends with anyone.”
Zhang Liuxin was also a little puzzled. “It is the first time we met. Maybe it’s because he has a good personality, or maybe, like he said, we have affinity.”
Tian Ke clicked his tongue twice. “Tsk, tsk. He forgets old friends when he gets new ones. Before you came out of the shower, we were talking about when to go to the internet cafe to play games.”
Zhang Liuxin found the comment a bit awkward and didn’t know how to respond, so he simply smiled, picked up his phone, and climbed into his upper bunk.
After lights out, he still wasn’t sleepy. After staring at the ceiling for a while, he inexplicably picked up his phone again and searched for “Wen Jin” in the browser.
He just suddenly wanted to see the unedited, unfiltered photo that Jiang You had mentioned earlier from the Silver Mirror Platform.
He was indeed very handsome. In the photo, Wen Jin’s expression was indifferent, his black eyes sharp, subtly revealing a sense of pressure that belied his age. He was like a cold moon, only to be admired from afar, not dared to be coveted.
Staring at the phone in the dark for too long made his eyes hurt slightly.
Zhang Liuxin turned off the screen, tucked the slightly warm phone under his pillow, and simultaneously tried hard to forget the handsome face in his mind.
The first week of school passed uneventfully. Zhang Liuxin finished purchasing the necessary items for the dorm, bought a small succulent plant at the school gate to put on his desk, and joined the school’s Plant Club. Although the club was a bit niche, the senior students recruiting new members were very enthusiastic, so Zhang Liuxin thought about it and filled out the application form.
Everything was developing in a positive direction, except for the fact that he had to return to the Zhang family home on Friday.
The Zhang family car was parked near the East Gate, closer to the School of Finance. Zhang Liuxin quickly packed his things after class and hurried toward the gate. Li Xingzhou chased after him from behind, asking where he was rushing off to and if he wanted to go to the library together over the weekend.
“Sorry, I have to go home, so I’m in a bit of a hurry,” Zhang Liuxin added. “Next Wednesday, I have fewer classes. How about we go to the library then?”
Li Xingzhou said, “Sounds good. See you next week. Be careful on the road.”
“Mhm, goodbye.”
It was the same car that had picked up Zhang Qiannan at the restaurant entrance on the first day of school. Zhang Liuxin opened the rear door, and scented cold air rushed out.
Zhang Qiannan looked at him with composure. “Brother, I didn’t expect you to make friends so quickly in college. You’re quite popular.”
Every time Zhang Qiannan deliberately called him “Brother,” Zhang Liuxin felt a chill. In everyone’s eyes, Zhang Qiannan was clearly an elegant and harmless young noble, but Zhang Liuxin always felt he was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Especially since Zhang Qiannan seemed to be constantly monitoring him, even though Zhang Qiannan should be the focus of everyone’s attention.
Zhang Qiannan suddenly leaned closer, his delicate face magnified in front of Zhang Liuxin. A slightly cool hand lifted his chin. “Those green eyes of yours are still so disgusting.”
His malice came suddenly, yet it didn’t surprise Zhang Liuxin at all. However, the grip was too strong; his fingernails were almost digging a mark into Zhang Liuxin’s chin. Zhang Liuxin managed to swat his hand away, averted his eyes, and looked out the window, sighing inwardly.
Zhang Qiannan’s personality was unlike Zhang Jiming’s or his mother, Ren Shuyun’s. Every time they were alone, Zhang Liuxin found him difficult to handle.
Fortunately, Zhang Qiannan was in a good mood today. After a round of cold sarcasm, he didn’t talk to him much more. Even during dinner at home, he didn’t spare him any extra glances.
Ren Shuyun served food to her son. Zhang Jiming talked about difficult business partners. Halfway through the meal, the topic suddenly shifted. Zhang Jiming abruptly asked, “Nannan, did you have dinner with Young Master Wen on the first day of school?”
Hearing this, Ren Shuyun also paused and looked over.
Zhang Qiannan slowly wiped his mouth. “I only saw him once. Lü Zixia invited us out. Young Master Wen doesn’t seem to eat out much; he just had a cup of tea and left.”
Zhang Liuxin paused. His suspicion was finally confirmed. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief.
“Now that you’ve entered this university, you must use Young Master Lü’s connection to interact more with Wen Jin. His maternal grandfather was recently promoted again and is a favored person close to the Chief Executive.”
Zhang Qiannan said, “Understood.”
Zhang Liuxin was counting the grains of rice in his bowl when he suddenly heard Zhang Jiming call his name.
“Liuxin, you too. Now that you’re in college, don’t be such a bookworm,” Zhang Jiming frowned at Zhang Liuxin, then turned to his wife and son, becoming benevolent and gentle. He said softly, “Nannan, whenever you have gatherings, bring your brother along. It’s good for him to meet more friends.”
At this, Ren Shuyun’s chopsticks paused in mid-air. She then picked up a large portion of greens and placed them on Zhang Jiming’s plate, but she directed her question to Zhang Liuxin. “That depends on whether Liuxin is willing, doesn’t it?”
Zhang Qiannan also looked at him. Zhang Liuxin shook his head and said, “I don’t have much in common with Qiannan’s friends. Going along would just spoil their fun.”
Ren Shuyun smiled and nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer. Unexpectedly, Zhang Qiannan suddenly spoke. “Don’t say that. I’d be happy for Brother to hang out with us. There’s a gathering tomorrow. Brother, come with me.”
What was this act now? Zhang Liuxin felt a headache coming on. He poked a hole in the foie gras on his plate and, under pressure, had no choice but to nod. “Alright.”
Please leave comments! It would be even better if you could toss me some starfish~ Wishing everyone happiness every day, and remember to stay cool in the hot weather ^ ^