Free Food

It was the kind of silence that makes one squirm.

Jiang Hao had only just met Ji Ze, and all he had ever seen was his perpetually cold, impassive face.

The remark about him having no friends had been a mere slip of the tongue, spoken without thought.

He hadn’t anticipated that in the very next second, Ji Ze’s face would darken, truly looking as if a raw nerve had been struck.

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow.

‘Oops, did I say the wrong thing?’

Despite this, his expression held no hint of apology.

Instead, he chuckled, teasing, “Is our class monitor usually too serious?”

Ji Ze’s lips thinned into a taut line.

A thousand words condensed into a single, unspoken curse.

He hadn’t uttered it aloud, merely cursing under his breath.

After a prolonged silence, his face grim, he decided to ignore the rude bastard before him.

“I don’t have roommates,” he stated coolly.

The implication was clear: his classmates had gone to eat, leaving the classroom empty.

Normally, a roommate would open the door, but unfortunately, he lived alone.

Yet, the moment the words left his mouth, he realized they only made him seem more reclusive.

‘Why did everyone else have roommates, but not him?’

Ji Ze’s face darkened even further.

To make matters worse, the words had come from his own mouth, impossible to retract.

He wished Jiang Hao had suddenly gone deaf!

Jiang Hao blinked, wisely refraining from speaking further, though a faint smile played at the corners of his eyes and lips.

Given the situation, Ji Ze had no patience for him.

He stiffly declared, “I’ll give you the form this afternoon.”

“I’m going to eat first.”

He turned, disregarding the person behind him, and walked away with a flourish.

He thought his departure was domineering and fierce, but to Jiang Hao, it was merely the sight of a lean, tall back—a rather good physique, indeed.

Moreover, the ‘bastard’ Ji Ze had silently cursed quickly latched on again.

“Handsome Class Monitor, I don’t have a meal card, so I’ll have to eat with you.”

Ji Ze’s steps faltered.

He knew it was true; as class monitor, he had a duty to help classmates.

It seemed he couldn’t shake off this annoying fellow for now.

Inside the cafeteria, numerous stalls offered a variety of cuisines.

Students lined up, ordering dishes, chatting, and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Ji Ze turned to Jiang Hao.

“What do you want to eat?”

Jiang Hao quickly scanned the stalls before turning back, smiling.

“I’ll just eat whatever you’re having.”

“Don’t bother.”

Normally, Ji Ze would consider the other person’s preferences and find a compromise.

However, having just been irritated by him, he couldn’t be bothered.

He walked directly to his favorite stall.

Jiang Hao, like a little shadow, immediately followed, queuing behind him.

This was the scrambled egg rice stall.

Ji Ze ordered ham and scrambled egg rice.

Jiang Hao glanced at the menu and ordered beef and scrambled egg rice.

Beside the stall, stacks of trays were provided for students to hold their plates and soup bowls.

Jiang Hao, being new, hadn’t noticed, his gaze still wandering to see what other dishes the cafeteria offered.

When it was their turn, Ji Ze took a tray for himself.

He turned to see the person beside him motionless.

It would have been easy to grab one for him, but Ji Ze simply didn’t want to.

So, he opened his mouth and said, “Hey.”

Jiang Hao seemed not to hear, continuing to look elsewhere.

Ji Ze’s face remained impassive as he called his name again.

The other person stirred, but still appeared not to have heard clearly.

“…”

Ji Ze reached out and tugged forcefully at Jiang Hao’s sleeve.

Only then did Jiang Hao turn, naturally leaning in to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ze stepped back slightly, gesturing with his eyes towards the trays.

“Grab one.”

“Oh—”

Jiang Hao understood instantly, casually picking up a tray.

He turned back, a bright, sunny smile gracing his lips.

“Thanks.”

Ji Ze paused, suddenly feeling his action had been somewhat childish.

He pursed his lips and turned, presenting the back of his head to Jiang Hao.

Standing behind him, Jiang Hao was still thinking about how Ji Ze had tugged his clothes earlier, just like his nephew begging for candy.

‘So cute.’

‘I want to ruffle his hair.’

Before him was a soft, fluffy head, with a small hair whorl at the crown.

Finding a table and sitting down with their meals, the two finally began to eat.

The scrambled egg rice tasted excellent, though the only drawback was the insufficient amount of meat.

Jiang Hao, being a carnivore, found the meager beef bits unsatisfying.

Seeing Ji Ze’s plate opposite him, he felt even more deprived.

“Class Monitor, you don’t eat much meat.”

“Are you full?”

Ji Ze finished chewing his mouthful of rice, swallowed, then slowly uttered a single word: “Full.”

He didn’t even look up at him.

Jiang Hao shrugged.

‘Ah, is he angry?’

Although he felt this class monitor was quite good and he wanted to be friends, he had accidentally offended him.

Now, the other boy clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

Jiang Hao never bothered with appeasement, deciding it was better to wait until the mood passed.

After finishing their meal, Ji Ze intended to return to the classroom to get his keys and take a nap.

As for the transfer student, he could worry about himself.

In reality, Jiang Hao had no need to worry.

Before he even left the cafeteria, Wei Kaidong came over, slung an arm around his shoulder, and began chatting familiarly.

They had attended the same middle school and had a fairly good relationship.

Although he was a transfer student, he wasn’t completely unknown.

He could simply ask his friend to show him around the school.

Ji Ze glanced at them, then turned and walked away with a cold expression.

By the time Jiang Hao noticed, Ji Ze had already gone far, only his retreating back visible.

Wei Kaidong followed his gaze.

“You got into Class Five?”

“Your class is quite famous, and so is your class monitor.”

Jiang Hao was curious.

“How so?”

Wei Kaidong explained, “Class Five is notorious for being rambunctious, definitely not a class of obedient students who listen to teachers.”

“They’re also incredibly united.”

“Once, a teacher cursed at someone in their class, supposedly for not doing homework or something, using really foul language.”

“Hey, don’t look so expectant!”

“They didn’t hit the teacher; they just went straight to the principal, saying the teacher violated professional ethics, and he ended up getting fired.”

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

“That’s quite interesting.”

Wei Kaidong grew more animated as he spoke.

“Their class doesn’t form cliques; the entire class acts as one unit, so other classes don’t mess with them easily.”

“Speaking of which, the most interesting person is probably their class monitor.”

“He grew up in a single-parent family, started school early, so he’s two years younger than us, and his health isn’t great.”

“The entire class protects him, treating him like a younger brother.”

“Is that so…?”

Jiang Hao smiled, stroking his chin as if deep in thought.

Wei Kaidong joked, “What?”

“Got your eye on their class monitor?”

“Looking to find yourself a ‘wife’?”

“You’d better be careful.”

“He’s got an entire class of ‘family’ protecting him; a single punch from each of them would be more than you could handle.”

Such jokes between boys were usually made without reservation; they weren’t serious, just for fun.

Jiang Hao simply laughed along.

“How can I back down so easily?”

“A person should always rise to a challenge!”

Wei Kaidong laughed unreservedly.

“You go, you go!”

“I’ll be on the sidelines, giving you moral support, buying a bucket of popcorn, and waiting to watch the show.”

Jiang Hao laughed and nudged him with his elbow.

Wei Kaidong dodged, then remembered something.

“Hey, you’re so good at basketball.”

“Want to join the school team?”

“They’re holding tryouts soon.”

Jiang Hao waved a hand.

“Forget it.”

“My parents sent me here to study hard and improve every day, didn’t they?”

Wei Kaidong knew him well and rolled his eyes.

“And?”

“Are you going to listen?”

Jiang Hao’s smile was audacious.

“How can I not listen to my benefactors?”

“Haven’t you heard of bending one’s back for five pecks of rice?”

“Besides, with my talent, if I work hard, I could get into a top university in a heartbeat.”

Wei Kaidong clapped enthusiastically, pat-pat-pat.

It wasn’t that he doubted Jiang Hao could do it; he truly knew his capabilities.

While Tsinghua or Peking University might be a stretch, getting into a top-tier university was practically a certainty.

Wei Kaidong admired Jiang Hao for this very reason: he studied diligently and played with equal fervor.

Jiang Hao had just arrived at school, and there were no desks or chairs for him in the classroom.

Ji Ze was supposed to take him to the storage room to get them.

However, after waking from his nap and searching for Jiang Hao, Ji Ze couldn’t find him anywhere.

He looked around, a little breathless, until he finally spotted the boy emerging from the snack shop.

Without a word, Ji Ze took two quick steps, grabbed Jiang Hao’s hand, and declared, “Come with me.”

Wei Kaidong, standing nearby, froze for a moment, then gave a mischievous grin, clenching his fist at Jiang Hao.

“Go for it, brother!”

Jiang Hao quickly recalled their midday conversation about rising to the challenge and finding a ‘wife’, and he too laughed impishly.

“Absolutely!”

Ji Ze didn’t understand their coded exchange.

He simply saw that class was about to start and wanted to quickly move the desk and chair.

Noticing Ji Ze’s hurried breathing, Jiang Hao immediately tugged at him, pulling him close.

“Walk slower.”

“Don’t fall.”

Ji Ze retorted, “Class is starting soon.”

Jiang Hao was unconcerned.

“So what?”

“If you get hurt, will the teacher be responsible?”

Ji Ze, being pulled by him, couldn’t walk fast anyway.

He simply slowed his pace, walking beside Jiang Hao, gradually leading him to the storage room.

Moving a desk and a chair up the stairs was not easy.

Ji Ze had come not only to guide but also to help.

However, Jiang Hao rolled up his sleeves, revealing long, strong arms.

“I can move it myself.”

“Two people fumbling up the stairs would be more trouble.”

“You help me with the chair.”

He effortlessly lifted the desk.

Ji Ze glanced at him twice, said nothing, and simply picked up the chair in silence.

When they returned to the classroom, Ji Ze was breathing heavily, setting the chair down at the doorway.

Jiang Hao stood beside him, his ears unconsciously twitching as he listened to Ji Ze’s gasps.

The classmate near the door saw the class monitor return and immediately said, “Class Monitor, you went to move things?”

“Why didn’t you call us?”

Another chimed in, “Exactly!”

“This guy is the most muscular.”

“What a great laborer; it’s a waste not to use him properly.”

“Hey, hey!”

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you calling me simple-minded!”

They immediately started bickering, only belatedly noticing the person standing next to the class monitor at the door.

“Oh?”

“A new classmate?”