Chapter 20: Only the Person Drinking the Water Knows Whether It's Hot or Cold
"If you keep thinking about your bro, it's probably because you've spent so much time together. Now that you're suddenly apart, you're just not used to it yet. After some time, you'll be fine. Humans are social creatures, so it's natural to feel sad when separated and to miss each other."
So that's it!
Zhuo Feng had finally found the answer he was looking for, and he felt relieved.
I knew it! There's no way I'd be into guys. I'm straighter than a telephone pole!
After making sure his phone hadn't saved any browsing history, he returned to the dorm.
Looking at his roommates, who had finally become busy because of the pressure of final exams, he suddenly realized...
Winter break is almost here.
He wouldn't see his roommates for more than a month.
Will I miss them?
He sat in his chair and thought about it.
Probably... maybe... there's about a seventy percent chance I won't.
Then why do I miss Lin Wan?
He lowered his head and fell silent...
The next morning was bright and sunny.
Lin Wan and his roommates arrived at the sports field.
Today was the PE exam, which was held one or two weeks earlier than the other final exams.
The test included several events.
Outside, the boys had to do pull-ups and run 1,000 meters, while the girls ran 800 meters.
Inside, there were the standing long jump, lung capacity test, and the sit-and-reach flexibility test.
At first, Lin Wan had been worried about the PE exam.
There was no need to think about it. He definitely wouldn't pass.
If he had to finish every event normally, he'd be lucky if he didn't collapse on the spot.
During regular PE classes, he was basically left alone.
When everyone gathered together, he watched.
When everyone ran, he walked.
So he had spoken to his counselor ahead of time, explaining his illness and his worries about the PE exam.
The counselor told him that the PE teacher had already been informed.
His situation was considered a special case.
He only needed to go through the motions. Jump a little, walk a little, and he wouldn't fail.
Only after hearing that did Lin Wan finally relax.
The whole morning passed as they completed one test after another.
Among the four roommates from Dorm 205, Sun Mao had it the worst.
By the time everything was over, his eyes had completely lost focus, as if he had just survived some terrible experience that couldn't be described.
Even though it was the middle of winter, liquid was still flowing all over his body...
Well... sweat, of course!
Before heading to the cafeteria, Sun Mao swore that he would definitely lose weight after this.
The next time he ran 1,000 meters, he wouldn't end up in such a miserable state.
Then he walked up to the food counter...
...and happily ordered one dish after another until his tray looked like a small mountain.
Seeing his roommates staring at him, he stayed completely calm and confidently said,
"If I don't eat enough, how will I have the energy to lose weight?"
The other three had nothing to say.
Somehow... it actually sounded a little reasonable.
At last, final exams arrived.
The atmosphere throughout Qingnan University became tense.
The roads on campus were filled with students hurrying from one teaching building to another like butterflies.
On the afternoon after the exams ended...
Dorm Room 502.
Zhuo Feng sat at his desk, staring blankly at the phone lying in front of him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked a little untidy.
His thumb and index finger slowly rubbed the stubble on his chin.
Ever since Lin Wan said he needed to study, the two of them hadn't contacted each other at all.
It had already been “half a month”.
Zhuo Feng hadn't contacted Lin Wan.
And Lin Wan hadn't contacted him either.
At first, Zhuo Feng believed what he had read online, that after enough time passed, he would naturally forget about it.
But every time he rode his bicycle without feeling the weight of someone sitting on the back seat...
Every time he couldn't see those familiar eyes...
His chest felt heavy.
Whenever he had nothing to do, his mind ignored his wishes and filled itself with a pair of smiling eyes.
Bright, clear, and impossible to forget.
Something was obviously wrong with him.
His roommates noticed that he wasn't acting like himself, but they didn't think much about it.
They assumed he was worried about the exams and comforted him, saying that with his grades, there was no way he would fail.
But some things...
Only the person experiencing them truly knows how they feel.
"Hey, Captain, why aren't you replying to the coach's messages?" Han Jinsong walked over to Zhuo Feng and patted him on the shoulder. "Old Ding and Yu Sen will finish their exams in a couple of days too. The coach wants to know if we can get together for a team dinner and also talk about our training plan for the winter break."
Hearing that, Zhuo Feng's eyes lit up.
"Okay. I'll contact Lin Wan."
He couldn't wait to pick up his phone and dial Lin Wan's number.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The phone rang for a long time.
He started feeling nervous.
Just when he thought Lin Wan wasn't going to answer and was about to hang up, the call connected.
He quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Why is making one phone call making my heart go up and down like this?
"Hello!"
"H-Hello, Zhuo Feng. Is... is something wrong?"
Lin Wan's voice sounded strange, as if he were trying hard to hold something back.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I... mm... I'm fine."
"Oh. The coach wants to arrange our winter break training, so he's asking us to have a team dinner together."
"Okay. When?"
"Uh..."
Zhuo Feng turned to Han Jinsong and asked,
"When's the dinner?"
He had been so focused on calling Lin Wan that he had forgotten to ask about the time.
Han Jinsong looked at the chat history on his phone.
"If everyone's free, then Friday evening."
Zhuo Feng nodded and said into the phone, "Is Friday evening okay?"
"Sure."
Neither of them spoke after that.
An awkward silence filled the call.
Zhuo Feng scratched at the tabletop with his fingers before asking,
"By the way... when are you going home?"
"If the dinner is on Friday night, then I'll probably leave on Saturday."
"Okay. Since we still have one day left, do you want to play a few boosting games?"
"Brother, send me the account!"
The moment Lin Wan heard that, his voice suddenly became much louder.
After hanging up, Lin Wan flushed the toilet and walked out.
This time he had learned his lesson.
Last time, after receiving the illness recovery reward, he had walked straight out of the bathroom without flushing.
His roommates must have thought he had been secretly doing something suspicious in there because they never heard the toilet flush.
This time he wasn't going to make the same mistake.
That's right.
Lin Wan had completed another mission.
Although his exam results hadn't been announced yet, the Spirit had already told him that he had completed it.
If the Spirit said it was complete, then it was complete.
After all, the Spirit's words were the most important.
So he calmly went to the bathroom again to receive his reward.
The process just now had felt so good that he had almost let out a sound during the phone call.
Fortunately, Lin Wan had amazing self-control.
Years of dealing with his illness had trained him to endure things extremely well.
Sitting down in front of his computer, Lin Wan entered the account and password Zhuo Feng had sent him.
The two of them finally started playing ranked together again after such a long break.
On Friday evening, after they finished playing together, Zhuo Feng felt completely refreshed.
The frustration that had built up over the past half month had completely disappeared.
To get ready for the team dinner that night, he specially took a shower, shaved his beard clean, combed his hair neatly like a grown-up, and put on a handsome long black coat.
Watching this whole routine, Han Jinsong clicked his tongue in surprise.
"Captain, are you secretly dating someone? Why are you dressing up so nicely? Are you going to meet a girl?"
"Ahem."
Zhuo Feng nervously licked his lips.
"Isn't there a team dinner later? There'll be lots of people outside. I'm just protecting the reputation of Dorm 502."
"Makes sense!"
Han Jinsong believed him without question. He picked up a can of hair spray and started fixing his own hair.
Dorm Room 205.
Lin Wan's outfit was much simpler.
As always, he wore a hoodie, along with a baseball cap and a black face mask.
He really loved hoodies.
They were convenient, cheap, and could be worn in every season.
In summer, he wore a thinner hoodie.
In winter, he simply added an undershirt and a sweater underneath.
When Lin Wan arrived at the school gate, Zhuo Feng and Han Jinsong had already been waiting for a while.
Walking over, he smiled apologetically.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"No, we just got here a little early."
Looking at the almond-shaped eyes that had filled his thoughts for days, Zhuo Feng finally felt at ease.
It was like eating an ice pop on the hottest day of summer.
But perhaps it was just his imagination...
Did Lin Wan's eyes become even prettier again?
"This guy dragged me here like we were being chased by a dog. Of course we got here before you!"
Han Jinsong exposed what Zhuo Feng had done earlier.
"Haha."
Thinking about being chased by a dog made Lin Wan laugh.
Then he asked, "Where are we having dinner?"
"Tian Restaurant. I've already called a ride. Let's go."
The three of them walked side by side.
Without making it obvious, Zhuo Feng quietly moved into the middle, separating Lin Wan from Han Jinsong.
When the ride-hailing car arrived, he casually arranged for Lin Wan to sit with him in the back seat while Han Jinsong was sent to the front passenger seat.