He sent a message to Ye Linyuan through his brain interface.
Tong Sui: [Can I go out now!]
Ye Linyuan: [Yes, I’m at the school gate. Remember to bring those books.]
Tong Sui: [Oh.]
Tong Sui had already walked to the dormitory entrance, but turned back to rummage through the bookshelf, pulling out a few books from the corner.
Seeing him like this, the chubby guy remarked, “Sui Ge, aren’t you going on a date? Why are you bringing books?”
Tong Sui stuffed the books into his backpack, his face turning red. “Who, who said you can’t study during a date? I’m leaving, bye!”
Ye Linyuan sat inside a sleek black floating car, watching the crowds through the car window, his expression remained neutral.
That was until he spotted a flash of white.
Tong Sui stepped out with a single-shoulder bag, wearing a white top and gray pants, with clean shoes – he looked like a fresh sprout.
There was a new brightness in his dark eyes as he opened the car door.
Tong Sui, carrying the lingering scent of a shower, slid in and gently nudged his cheek. “Good evening.”
Ye Linyuan relaxed his tense shoulders and turned to look at him. In the dim light of the car, he held Tong Sui’s hand and instructed the driver, “Drive.”
“Okay.”
The driver had been worried about Ye Linyuan’s choice of a romantic partner, especially since the day before, when Tong Sui got into the car, he smelled heavily of alcohol and seemingly wasn’t fully aware.
But seeing them together today, Ye Linyuan was quite happy, so the driver decided not to worry unnecessarily.
“Stop here.”
Ye Linyuan asked the driver to pull up in front of a supermarket in a shopping mall, unloading the bag from Tong Sui’s shoulder.
“Go buy something.”
“Oh.”
Tong Sui followed Ye Linyuan out of the car.
It seemed like the dinner rush had just passed, as there were many people in the plaza, and quite a few couples holding hands, strolling together.
The air conditioning in the top-floor supermarket was quite strong.
Compared to the lively atmosphere outside, this inside was much quieter.
Unlike Tong Sui who wandered aimlessly, Ye Linyuan was intent on his mission, focused on the navigation in the shopping cart as he swiftly made his way to the designated section.
Tong Sui casually glanced at a product’s price, only to realize it was aimed at a high-end market, which explained the sparsely populated aisles.
Noticing Tong Sui’s gaze, Ye Linyuan stopped.
In front of them was a long shelf filled with snacks, many of which Tong Sui had never seen before, a variety of options.
“Is there anything you’d like to buy?”
Tong Sui hesitated, and Ye Linyuan took the opportunity to gather an entire range of snack products, filling half the shopping cart.
Seeing Ye Linyuan reach for more, Tong Sui quickly pressed down on his hand. “Wait, that’s too much! Do you always buy so much for others?”
Ye Linyuan replied, “I don’t know.”
Tong Sui asked, “Huh?”
Ye Linyuan grasped the shopping cart. “I’ve never bought anything for anyone else besides you.”
He simply couldn’t help himself from wanting to provide Tong Sui with as much as possible; it never mattered if there was an excess, as long as Tong Sui liked it.
“Oh, oh.”
Tong Sui was momentarily at a loss for words, feeling a bit dazed all the way, nodding along with the items Ye Linyuan picked out.
Soon, they finished shopping and moved to the checkout.
Tong Sui, standing nearby, grew bored and let his gaze fall on a small box next to the checkout. It had a warm reminder and model number written on it.
Ye Linyuan asked, “Do you want this?”
Tong Sui’s face instantly flushed red, as he turned his eyes away and leaned against his shoulder, his ears burning. He stammered, “No.”
Tong Sui’s face felt like it was on fire, but thankfully, Ye Linyuan did not persist. He quickly finished the transaction.
Even after leaving the supermarket, his face remained blazing hot.
Ye Linyuan stowed the purchased items away and pulled him into the car.
As Tong Sui sat in the coolness of the car, the dry, refreshing air brushed over his flushed cheeks but failed to alleviate his heated feelings.
Seeing that item, he couldn’t help but recall some memories from earlier.
Although Lolo wasn’t as dominant as Ye Linyuan, the gentle encompassing feeling resembled a prey caught in a spider’s web, tightening the more one struggled.
It always left him with nowhere to hide, as if his soul were suspended in mid-air.
At such times, his words seemed entirely ineffective.
Tong Sui couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Ye Linyuan beside him; the familiar face tangled with his memories countless times.
It felt as if his ears were burning too.
Would Ye Linyuan feel the same?
Just the thought of kissing already made Tong Sui feel overwhelmed; he was hesitant to ponder any further.
He shook his head, dismissing any inappropriate thoughts, reminding himself that he was only there to study – what was the point of thinking about those things?
The floating car soon reached the apartment.
He carried his single-shouldered bag and followed Ye Linyuan into the somewhat cool apartment.
At the entrance, Ye Linyuan opened the slippers he had just purchased.
“Try these on.”
He knelt down, almost skillfully undoing Tong Sui’s shoelaces.
By the time Tong Sui snapped back to reality, Ye Linyuan had already grasped his ankle and slipped the slippers on.
He looked down.
Ye Linyuan’s large hand could easily encompass his frail wrist, as if just a slight squeeze could snap it, but his actions were gentle and careful.
Through the white mid-socks, there was almost no tangible sensation.
Tong Sui couldn’t help but curl his toes, tightly gripping his single-shoulder bag.
Fortunately, his socks were new.
After putting on the slippers, Ye Linyuan stepped aside, leaving a path for Tong Sui.
Tong Sui walked around the living room, the size and feel of the slippers fitting perfectly.