Bonus Chapter
4. Friends
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The next day at school, Lin Nan specifically bought some bread and milk from a street vendor.
With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he arrived in class and took a look around at the unfamiliar yet strangely familiar faces of his classmates. He marched straight to the back row of the classroom, puffed up his cheeks, and handed the breakfast to Chen Yao, who was busy scrolling through his phone.
When Chen Yao finally noticed Lin Nan and looked up, Lin Nan had already hurried back to his seat, short legs scurrying away like a startled kitten.
You see, Lin Nan was rather introverted and struggled to express himself; this breakfast was meant as a thank-you for what happened yesterday.
Although it had only been a little over a week since school started, Chen Yao had quickly gained popularity in the class thanks to his tall stature and cheerful personality.
In comparison, Lin Nan, who was still struggling to remember anyone’s name, clearly had a long way to go.
The school day flew by. Classes passed with diligent listening, and breaks were spent doing homework. Even without friends, Lin Nan didn’t feel bored at all.
But when the school bell rang that morning, Lin Nan looked up and found Chen Yao standing next to his desk out of nowhere.
“Want to grab lunch together?” Chen Yao asked with an overly cheerful smile.
Maybe it was because their first conversation during the roll call was with Lin Nan, but Chen Yao took quite a liking to this shy, scrawny guy.
After all, there was something adorably timid about him that made people want to protect him, like a little sibling.
“Lunch together?” Lin Nan looked up, noticing the bruises and scratches on Chen Yao’s arms and shins.
Remembering Chen Yao’s earlier comment about getting into a fight, Lin Nan immediately freaked out and shook his head, “I’ll just eat at home.”
Though his cousins were always getting into fights and he’d seen plenty of brawlers back in elementary school, Lin Nan still preferred to keep a respectful distance from such people, especially since Chen Yao was not one of his childhood buddies.
“Why so polite? It’s my treat!” Chen Yao said enthusiastically, throwing an arm around Lin Nan’s shoulders. “C’mon, I see you’re ready to go!”
“Eh?”
Before Lin Nan knew it, he was yanked out of his seat and dragged a few steps before he realized what was happening—too late to refuse now!
Given that he found Chen Yao a bit intimidating and strange, Lin Nan tried to maintain some distance, but Chen Yao was completely oblivious, gleefully slinging an arm around him and chatting away, “I know a fast food place that’s really good! My treat! Then let’s hit the internet cafe, what do you say?”
“Go, go online?”
Lin Nan wasn’t the kind of child who was too good to go online—he’d been to arcades and internet cafes with his cousins back in the countryside.
But the hitch was….
“I only have ten bucks.”
“I’ll cover the internet too! Who told me I can’t stand you?” Chen Yao slapped his pocket proudly. “I’m rolling in the dough!”
Lin Nan loved hanging out with rich kids like that.
But he still hesitated, “Aren’t you supposed to go home for lunch?”
“My parents run a shop. They won’t even notice I’m gone! Let’s go!” With that, Chen Yao dragged Lin Nan onto the bus.
The fast food place he mentioned was located in a little alley near the internet cafe, and it was packed—people lined up in a long serpentine queue.
This was Lin Nan’s first time here. Or rather, since arriving in the county, he’d only ever gone back and forth between school and home, never venturing elsewhere.
Chen Yao’s exuberance made Lin Nan a bit uneasy, wondering if this not-so-sane tall guy had some ulterior motive.
But on second thought, what could he possibly want from Lin Nan?
He didn’t have much money, wasn’t a girl, and with his height, he certainly couldn’t make a good thug.
Could it be that Chen Yao wanted to recruit a little errand boy?
That explanation seemed plausible enough.
So Lin Nan, feeling somewhat reassured, finished lunch with Chen Yao and went online… only to discover Chen Yao’s true intentions for their escapade.
This guy was looking for a support to help him buy in-game items.
League of Legends was pretty popular in their class, and Lin Nan often overheard classmates discussing it, but this was his first time playing.
It was a bit awkward at first, but Chen Yao, who had only just started and was around level ten, grasped the basic gameplay mechanics.
“How about I bring you breakfast from now on?”
After treating Lin Nan to lunch and an internet session, he felt a wave of gratitude wash over him.
“Breakfast? I’m not in the habit of eating breakfast.”
“My grandpa used to say not eating breakfast is bad for your health.”
Chen Yao nodded, happily accepting Lin Nan’s good intentions.
Despite being a bit silly and enjoying fights, Chen Yao really was a good guy.
Lin Nan was the type who accepted kindness from others unconditionally, so after that, he became Chen Yao’s little sidekick—bringing breakfast and running errands to the convenience store for snacks. With Chen Yao’s backing, no one in class dared to bully him.
At lunchtime, they would take turns treating each other to meals and internet sessions. Sometimes, after school, they’d visit the internet cafe, paying five bucks for two hours of online time.
In the evenings, Chen Yao would often hang out with his gang of friends outside of school, getting into group fights, which usually left him with a few battle scars by the next day.
Lin Nan wasn’t a fan of Chen Yao’s brawling ways, but there was no getting through to him.
——————
“You went and got into another fight.” Lin Nan sat beside Chen Yao, frowning at the cut on his forehead.
“It’s nothing! Just a little scratch, see? It’s already scabbing over.” Chen Yao rolled up his short sleeves, flexing his biceps proudly, grinning, “I’ve never lost a fight in my life!”
“Next time, don’t fight…” Lin Nan mumbled, pulling a box of band-aids from his pocket, tearing one off and leaning forward slightly.
Chen Yao froze, noticing the worried expression on Lin Nan’s face, instinctively leaning back and muttering, “Real men don’t need band-aids!”
“Stop it!” Lin Nan’s tone became a tad more stern.
Perhaps it was the first time that the little kitten had shown some spirit, and it startled Chen Yao, making him stiffen up.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Nan quickly stood up and pressed the band-aid on the scabby cut on Chen Yao’s forehead.
Only then did he feel a sense of relief and plopped back down, gently asking, “Any other injuries?”
For some reason, he noticed Chen Yao’s face had turned slightly red.
Lin Nan’s curious eyes widened, sparkling with questions, “Why’s your face red?”
“It’s nothing!” Chen Yao grumbled, reaching up to rip the band-aid off his forehead.
But Lin Nan had already figured him out and quietly remarked, “Don’t you think the band-aid on your forehead looks pretty cool?”
“Does it?”
“Seriously. Very manly.” Lin Nan said with absolute seriousness.
Chen Yao pulled out his phone and checked his reflection, his forehead adorned with a band-aid, finally breaking into a goofy grin, “You know what? It really does! Handsome as heck!”
Boys at this age are pretty easy to fool.
Especially Chen Yao, who was entering his rebellious phase, full of ideas about being unique and cool otherwise, the so-called non-mainstream culture wouldn’t even exist.
“Just don’t fight anymore.” Lin Nan urged again.
“No way! If my buddies are getting bullied, I can’t just sit by, right? And then if you ever get bullied, I’ll have to back you up too!” Chen Yao shook his head vehemently, completely dismissing Lin Nan’s concerns.
Having spent some time in the county, Lin Nan’s countryside awkwardness finally started to fade away.
Once he had that dusty gray face, now he looked pale and rosy, quite adorable.
“Hey, want to all-nighter at the internet cafe tonight? Tomorrow’s Saturday!” Chen Yao changed the subject, eyeing a girl from their class.
Though the girls in their class were somewhat ordinary looking, Chen Yao, being the tallest among the short boys, had laid eyes on a relatively cute girl.
His “socialite” friends all had girlfriends and money, while he only had a little sidekick—talk about unfair!
“All-nighter? Sure, why not?”
This would be Lin Nan’s first time pulling an all-nighter at the internet cafe.
The internet cafe in the county wasn’t exactly reputable; although the regulations for online gamers had been put into practice, these two minors still roamed freely.
At ten in the evening, they met at the internet cafe.
Finding a small booth for two, Lin Nan took the innermost seat and expertly booted up the game, ready to start for the day.
“Holy cow?!” Chen Yao suddenly exclaimed from beside him.
“What’s up?” Lin Nan leaned over to check Chen Yao’s screen, his face flushed instantly, shrinking back with a weak voice, “Why are you looking at that…”
“I just stumbled upon it randomly.” Chen Yao shrugged, totally engrossed, making sounds of awe.
Lin Nan couldn’t control his curiosity either, his face turning a deeper shade of red as he cautiously glanced at Chen Yao’s screen, earnestly asking, “Weren’t we here to play games? This is so gross!”
“Chill, just checking it out.”
Despite finding it gross, Lin Nan felt an odd sensation stirring in him. He averted his gaze, eyeing the obvious bulge in Chen Yao’s pants before pursing his lips, obediently looking at his own screen.
“Hey, there’s also anime!”
Once again, Lin Nan’s curiosity got the better of him…
——————
Back in elementary school, internet cafes did indeed have those kinds of things blatantly displayed in the desktop folders, but Lin Nan never dared to click on them.
However, by middle school, things should’ve been much more regulated; now, it was even less likely for such things to be found, so gentlemen, don’t think too much!
