When Xiao Cheng woke up in the middle of the night, he was in so much pain that he couldn’t bear it. He got out of bed and poured himself a cup of hot water.
His movements weren’t loud, but Jiang Zihe, across from him, was woken up. He rubbed his eyes and poked his head out from under the covers, “Xiao Cheng?”
Xiao Cheng pressed one hand against his stomach and weakly smiled, “Sorry, I woke you up.”
“It’s okay.”
Jiang Zihe also got out of bed and walked over to Xiao Cheng, only to discover that Xiao Cheng’s face was deathly pale, with fine sweat beads on his forehead.
Jiang Zihe was startled and wanted to support Xiao Cheng, but he feared touching him and worsening the pain. His hand hovered in mid-air, unsure of what to do.
“What’s going on?”
He was fine before sleeping, how did he suddenly get a stomachache?
Xiao Cheng shook his head, speaking weakly, “Old illness.”
“I’ll take you to the infirmary.”
Jiang Zihe saw Xiao Cheng’s pain worsening and didn’t think leaving him alone in the dorm room was a good idea, especially since the other two roommates weren’t around.
“No need to move.”
After drinking the hot water, Xiao Cheng’s pain didn’t subside. He broke out in a cold sweat, and even his lips were paler than usual.
“Then I’ll go buy you some medicine?” Jiang Zihe helped Xiao Cheng sit down, “What’s going on, do you have a stomach disease?”
Xiao Cheng shook his head, “I’m allergic to small lobsters.”
Jiang Zihe suddenly understood, it was all because of love troubles.
“Then can you stay here by yourself?”
Xiao Cheng weakly nodded, “Thanks.”
“There’s no need to thank me, brother.” Jiang Zihe casually threw on a jacket and said, “I’ll go first; you sit here for a while.”
After Jiang Zihe left, Xiao Cheng was alone in the dorm room.
The silence was deafening, and Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but feel a little lonely.
When people are weak, their mental defenses drop, and Xiao Cheng wasn’t from this world to begin with. He was especially prone to wild thoughts at times like this.
He endured the pain and picked up his phone, wanting to talk to someone to alleviate the loneliness. But after flipping through his contacts, he didn’t know who to call.
The only person he could confide in was Nian Nian.
But it was already late at night, and Nian Nian must be asleep.
Xiao Cheng didn’t want to disturb Nian Nian’s rest, although Nian Nian was gentle and probably wouldn’t mind.
He was afraid that if he called, he wouldn’t know how to explain.
Xiao Cheng put his phone down, one hand pressing against his stomach, the other supporting his head, and dozed off at the table.
He didn’t know how long he slept, but suddenly Jiang Zihe’s voice woke him up. Xiao Cheng opened his eyes to see Jiang Zihe’s concerned face, and he felt a sudden urge to cry.
Jiang Zihe had brought medicine and even poured him a cup of hot water. Seeing Xiao Cheng’s pain, he woke him up to take the medicine, but Xiao Cheng’s eyes were red and puffy.
Jiang Zihe felt helpless, “Xiao Cheng, are you okay?”
Has it already reached this point?
Xiao Cheng shook his head, looking down and trying to hide his weakness.
He didn’t want others to see his vulnerable side.
“Thanks.”
This was his second time saying thanks, but Jiang Zihe didn’t tease him like before. Instead, he looked at Xiao Cheng silently for a while, then suddenly pulled out a chair and sat down in front of him.
“Are you not feeling well emotionally?”
It wasn’t just because of the pain, Jiang Zihe remembered that Xiao Cheng could usually tolerate a lot.
Xiao Cheng didn’t know how to explain to him, nor could he explain his inner fears and loneliness to anyone. Because most of his anxiety came from being in a strange world, unable to find familiar people.
Xiao Cheng thought he didn’t care, but it turned out he just hadn’t reached the difficult point yet.
“I don’t know why you’re upset, Xiao Cheng,” Jiang Zihe said, pausing, “but emotions suppressed for too long can become a burden.”
“You don’t have to tell me now, but I hope you can find a way to relieve your emotional pressure.”
Xiao Cheng looked at Jiang Zihe seriously for the first time. He had always treated Jiang Zihe as the original owner’s friend, and Jiang Zihe’s kindness was only because of the original owner.
He had always been limited by his identity, overlooking many things.
But in reality, Jiang Zihe was a good friend regardless of who Xiao Cheng was.
He thought that whether it was him or the original owner, he truly wanted to be friends with Jiang Zihe.
“Thanks, Jiang Zihe.”
Xiao Cheng said thanks for the third time, and the tone was different each time. Jiang Zihe, despite his carefree personality, could sense the difference.
Jiang Zihe didn’t know what Xiao Cheng was worried about, or what he had just realized. It didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Xiao Cheng was willing to accept him as a true friend.
Jiang Zihe could sense that there had been a distance between them recently, like a wall had been erected in Xiao Cheng’s heart, keeping him at a distance.
But just now, that wall seemed to have disappeared.
Jiang Zihe genuinely smiled, “No need to say thanks, brother.”
Xiao Cheng sighed in relief, thinking that from now on, they would truly be brothers.
He wasn’t alone in this world anymore.
After taking the medicine, Xiao Cheng dozed off again, sleeping until dawn. He greeted Jiang Zihe, and they exchanged a smile.
Xiao Cheng still felt a little excited, having gained his first friend in this world. Today was definitely a day worth celebrating.
Jiang Zihe was brushing his teeth when he suddenly remembered something, “Oh, Xiao Cheng, my brother wants to invite my roommates to dinner tomorrow. Are you free?”
Xiao Cheng wasn’t too keen on going, as he didn’t have a good impression of Jiang Ying, and besides, he had offended Jiang Ying before. Who knew if Jiang Ying still held a grudge?
But since he had just decided to be friends with Jiang Zihe, Xiao Cheng didn’t want to refuse him, so he nodded.
“I’ll go.”
Jiang Zihe looked a bit embarrassed, “Is your foot okay?”
“It’s fine, it’s much better now.”
Actually, it was still hurting, but it shouldn’t be a big problem.
Xiao Cheng remembered that he hadn’t said good morning to Nian Nian yet, so he quickly took out his phone. The conversation box with Nian Nian was still silent.
Nian Nian hadn’t replied to his messages.
Last night, he video-called Nian Nian, but Nian Nian didn’t answer. This morning, Nian Nian didn’t even send him a greeting.
Xiao Cheng knew he shouldn’t worry too much, but he thought about how Nian Nian had come alone last night, and what if something had happened on the way…
Xiao Cheng scared himself, thinking about it over and over, and finally called the driver from the Xiao family.
To ask if Nian Nian had arrived safely at school…
“Mr. Luo, I didn’t pick him up last night. He said he didn’t need me to send him, and didn’t need me to pick him up this morning.”
Xiao Cheng furrowed his brow, “What?”
Why did Nian Nian say that?
Where did he go?
—
A pale hand stretched out from the white cotton quilt, the fingertips pressing on the phone screen, silencing the alarm and switching the phone to silent mode.
The phone was then tossed aside, and the owner pulled the quilt over himself, closing his eyes and falling asleep.
It was unknown how long he slept, but Luo Jingshu finally woke up.
He sat up, rubbing his temples and letting out a hoarse, low-pitched groan.
He had drunk too much last night and overslept this morning.
Luo Jingshu picked up his phone from the floor. As soon as he turned on the screen, several missed calls appeared.
They were from the “toy.”
Luo Jingshu expressionlessly deleted the missed calls and opened WeChat, where several messages from Xiao Cheng were also present.
Luo Jingshu didn’t respond, nor was he interested in what Xiao Cheng had said.
He just glanced at it and put down his phone, going to wash up and change his clothes.
—
Nian Nian didn’t answer the phone, and Xiao Cheng furrowed his brow, genuinely worried now.
What if something had happened?
Should he go to Nian Nian’s school to take a look?
Xiao Cheng thought about it, glancing at the snacks Nian Nian had bought on the table, and suddenly stood up, limping out of the room.
“Xiao Cheng, where are you going?”
“To find someone.”
Xiao Cheng’s face was solemn, his heart filled with worry and anxiety.
At least he had to make sure Nian Nian was safe.
