Reporting to You

With Shi Sui’s close protection and guidance, Lu Huaizhi did not die a single time during the rest of that match.

After they won, Lu Huaizhi gave Shi Sui a thumbs-up in the game, “You’re really amazing.”

A calm statement, entirely unlike Wang Cheng’s exaggerated cries of calling him father, yet it made Shi Sui feel incredibly satisfied.

Consequently, during the games that followed, Wang Cheng never saw Shi Sui come to the mid lane again.

Shi Sui directly linked up with Lu Huaizhi in the bottom lane, and even when playing as the jungler, he focused exclusively on ganking bottom. He used those assassin-type dive champions, unleashing flashy and intricate skills.

It instantly made Wang Cheng think of a peacock flaunting its tail at a zoo.

If Lu Huaizhi were a girl, Wang Cheng would have thought Shi Sui had some kind of ulterior motive.

When the match ended, Shi Sui was the MVP.

However, Wang Cheng was even more boastful than Shi Sui, lighting a cigarette, “If it weren’t for me holding the pressure in the mid lane, could we have won this match? If you ask me, I’m the real MVP.”

The atmosphere in the main hall wasn’t as good as a private room, with many people puffing away, which made Wang Cheng unable to resist joining in.

But just as he took a puff, Chi Qing frowned and looked at him, “The smell in the main hall is already messy enough, and you’re still smoking right next to me. Don’t make me reek of cigarette smoke that I won’t be able to get rid of.”

“Wait, Chi Qing, what exactly is up with you lately?” Wang Cheng looked at him strangely, “It would make sense if those words came from the Top Student, but how can they come out of your mouth?”

When had Chi Qing not joined them in smoking before?

“Afraid of smelling like cigarettes?” Wang Cheng intentionally blew a cloud of smoke toward Chi Qing, sporting a cheeky grin, “Could it be that you’re going to meet someone tonight?” No wonder this kid didn’t say a word when they mentioned pulling an all-nighter.

Chi Qing used his hand to fan the smoke away, “I’m just worried Old Man Deng will smell it…”

“Bullsh*t!” Wang Cheng’s gaze was sharp, “Today is only Saturday, what kind of cigarette smoke clings onto you until Monday! Chi Qing, I advise you to come clean honestly!”

He didn’t dare to delve deeply into Shi Sui’s strangeness, but could he still not pry open Chi Qing’s mouth?!

The game was paused.

Chi Qing was pressed down into his chair by Wang Cheng, who locked his arm around his neck, “Hmm? What exactly is going on with you, kid? Are you going to speak or not?”

On regular days, Chi Qing had a bigger smoking addiction than he did, yet now he actively claimed he wasn’t smoking anymore!

Chi Qing tried hard to pull Wang Cheng’s arm away, still stubborn, “After smoking, the smell sticks to your hands and clothes, it’s disgusting.”

“What does a guy like you who wears a school uniform even when it’s gone sour know.”

Shi Sui was currently leaning against the back of his chair with his eyes closed to rest, but upon catching Chi Qing’s words unexpectedly, he opened his eyes, “What did you just say?”

The two who were wrestling froze for a moment, and Chi Qing replied, “Wang Cheng’s school uniform went sour?”

“The sentence before that.”

“The smell of cigarettes on hands and clothes is disgusting?”

Shi Sui turned his head, looking toward Lu Huaizhi, “Did you tell Chi Qing that?” Previously, Lu Huaizhi had precisely disdained the disgusting smell of cigarettes on his hands.

Lu Huaizhi was currently familiarizing himself with the skills of various champions, and sensing Shi Sui’s scrutinizing gaze, he replied, “It wasn’t me.”

“Oh.” Shi Sui leaned back against the chair again, pulling out his phone from his pocket to open Anipop, “Then you two continue, call me when it’s over.”

Chi Qing: “?” Wang Cheng: “??”

Interrupted like this, the intense interrogation atmosphere from just now vanished completely.

Wang Cheng kicked Chi Qing’s chair, “Even if you don’t say it, I’ve already guessed it.”

He let out a snort, “Clutching your phone to chat every single day, and even when a team fight breaks out, you check it immediately if the phone rings—you definitely have someone out there, kid.”

Just then, Chi Qing’s phone resting on the desk vibrated again, and he instantly stuffed it into his pocket, deeply afraid someone might steal a glance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I just feel like secondhand smoke is highly hazardous.” Chi Qing spoke with a serious face, “Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 types of harmful substances and dozens of carcinogenic substances, its toxicity is much higher than firsthand smoke.”

“Give it a rest!” Wang Cheng had just finished his exams, and hearing these numbers made his head ache, “It’s Tao Lingwei, right?” During their monthly exams earlier, the examination hall Tao Lingwei went to happened to be Chi Qing’s.

“Tao Lingwei?” After Lu Huaizhi recalled who that was, he smiled slightly, “That’s very nice.”

Chi Qing hadn’t expected everyone to guess it so easily. His face turned a bit red, and instead of refuting it, he looked toward Shi Sui, “Shi Sui, don’t mind…”

After all, Tao Lingwei had given Shi Sui a love letter before.

Chi Qing wanted to explain to him, but saw Shi Sui frowning as he stared at Lu Huaizhi, “What are you happy about regarding other people’s business?” He had seen Lu Huaizhi smile.

Lu Huaizhi paused, “I’m just wishing them well.”

Shi Sui: “Don’t stick your nose into other people’s business when you’re free.” One moment it was Wang Cheng, the next it was Chi Qing—how had he not realized before that Lu Huaizhi was so adept at winning people over?

Lu Huaizhi nodded: “Okay, I’ll only care about you.”

Thus, Chi Qing watched with his own eyes as the quite aggressive Shi Sui instantly lost his spark, lowering his head to mindlessly swipe at his Anipop game on his phone, his ears entirely red.

Chi Qing, who had been single-mindedly worried about a misunderstanding: “…” It seemed he had overthought things.

At this moment, Chi Qing’s phone rang, “Weiwei said she ordered milk tea for us, I’ll go out to fetch it.” After saying that, he headed out the door.

Wang Cheng watched his retreating back with a face full of resentment, “So everyone has someone, right?”

Lu Huaizhi didn’t need to be mentioned—after that basketball match, love letters had been unceasing, and the same went for Shi Sui, who originally didn’t attract a single bit of romantic luck but had recently been confessed to frequently as well.

Yet Shi Sui didn’t forget to kick him while he was down, “Clean yourself up.” Who knew what Qi Sile saw in him.

Wang Cheng snorted, “How many times do I have to say it, that’s the scent of a man!”

Shi Sui couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

Chi Qing brought over four cups of milk tea, and everyone picked one.

Lu Huaizhi noticed that Shi Sui took a strawberry milkshake. It seemed that aside from lollipops where he didn’t eat strawberry flavor, Shi Sui preferred strawberry flavor for everything else.

“Top Student, someone asked me for your name at the entrance just now.” Chi Qing took a sip of his milk tea, gesturing with his eyes toward the row opposite theirs, “Just that girl over there wearing the blue floral print.”

Lu Huaizhi casually looked over, “Don’t know her.”

“That girl! I know her.” Wang Cheng bit his straw, mumbling indistinctly, “She’s been glancing toward our side ever since we started playing, standing up from her seat several times during our game intervals. I thought she was going to come over, but I didn’t expect her to hold back until now.”

Chi Qing nodded, “I noticed it too. I was actually wondering at first if she was looking for Shi Sui.”

“How could she be looking for Shi Sui!” Wang Cheng chewed up the pearls in his mouth, “That girl came to accompany her friend. At first, she was even doing her homework just like when the Top Student came to the internet cafe for the first time! She clearly looks like a good girl, she definitely doesn’t match with Shi Sui.”

“She’s the best match for the Top Student.”

Shi Sui lifted his eyelids and swept a cold glance over Wang Cheng, “Even milk tea can’t shut your mouth?”

Just as Shi Sui finished speaking, that girl gathered her courage and stood beside Lu Huaizhi’s desk, “Hello, are you Student Lu?”

Her voice was soft and very sweet.

Shi Sui hadn’t even finished his game of Anipop, directly stuffing his phone into his pocket, “I’m going to the front desk to talk to Sister Lulu about recent matters regarding the internet cafe.” After saying that, he stood up and walked away without looking back.

Shi Sui leaned against the counter, taking a pack of Bugles from the snack basket on the desk and pouring a whole handful into his mouth, crunching them loudly.

Seeing him filled with such great anger, Li Lulu asked, “Who provoked you?”

Shi Sui kept a stiff face, “No one.” Though he said that, his peripheral vision kept glancing toward Lu Huaizhi’s direction.

Li Lulu followed his gaze to take a look, seeing a sweet-looking girl currently talking to Lu Huaizhi. Her mind was as clear as a mirror.

So that kid still managed to succeed? Was Shi Sui a bit too easy to trick.

Li Lulu waved her hand in front of Shi Sui’s eyes, pulling his attention back, “I have something to tell you.”

“Lately, a gang of young guys often comes to the internet cafe at night, and the first thing they do is look toward the front desk, looking like they’re up to no good. Have you caused trouble again recently?”

Shi Sui frowned, “No.” Recently it had been either the sports meet or the monthly exams, he was too busy to even catch a breath.

Shi Sui thought back to the yellow-haired guy and the others who were committing extortion in the South Alley previously, “Is the hair of those people one red and one yellow?”

Li Lulu shook her head, “No, they look quite young. They won’t say who they’re looking for either, and they’ve been coming consecutively for almost a week.” If Shi Sui hadn’t been reviewing all the time and lacked the availability to come, he might really have run into them.

Shi Sui said, “Next time if you run into them while you’re on the night shift, give me a call.”

“Alright.” Li Lulu said, “But it might just be me overthinking, don’t be too nervous.”

Shi Sui didn’t reply.

Li Lulu wasn’t the suspicious type. Since she had brought it up, it proved those people indeed posed a problem. It just so happened that he had been very annoyed lately, so they could serve perfectly to help him vent his frustration.

“Sister Lulu, I’m heading to the convenience store for a bit.”

When Shi Sui was annoyed, he felt like smoking. He could have originally gone back to get one from Wang Cheng, but looking up to see that girl still there, he instantly abandoned the thought. Out of sight, out of mind.

Shi Sui bought a lighter and a pack of cigarettes at the convenience store. Just as he opened the pack and tapped a single cigarette out, he saw Lu Huaizhi at the entrance of the store.

Lu Huaizhi looked at the cigarette between Shi Sui’s fingers, keeping silent.

Stared at by him, Shi Sui grew annoyed, “Does my smoking bother you? If you find the smell uncomfortable, you can switch seats with Chi Qing in a bit.”

Lu Huaizhi remained silent for a long while, “It doesn’t bother me, go ahead and smoke.”

Watching the two bicker, the convenience store owner let out a laugh, “What’s wrong with a boy having a smoke? Little brother, do you want a pack too?”

Shi Sui’s gaze turned cold, “He doesn’t smoke, don’t think about expanding your clientele.”

The convenience store owner gave a snort, saying nothing further.

Lu Huaizhi glanced at the business license hanging in the store, asking, “Boss, do you know we are minors?”

“Yeah, I know!” The owner sat with his legs crossed, looking disdainful, “Each of you hasn’t even grown fully yet, but you’re quite arrogant.”

“National laws stipulate that no business establishment is permitted to sell cigarettes or alcohol to minors.” Lu Huaizhi said, “I can report you for acting like this.”

The owner’s expression instantly turned ugly, “Fck, did you guys come specifically to trap me! Scram, scram, scram, this old man won’t do business with you guys anymore!”

After saying that, he looked at the cigarettes and lighter in Shi Sui’s hands, “If you want a refund, I’ll give you your money back. If not, get the hell out.” He didn’t want to get himself into trouble.

Shi Sui and Lu Huaizhi were driven out by the owner just like that.

“Lu Huaizhi, you’re quite capable, aren’t you!” Shi Sui said, “Do you know this is the closest convenience store to Sister Lulu’s internet cafe?”

If the owner refused to do business with him, where would he go to buy cigarettes when he ran out in the future?

“I was just reminding him.” Lu Huaizhi looked at the cigarette pack in his hand, “These low-quality cigarettes are bad for your health.”

Shi Sui was angered into a laugh, “Whether my health is good or bad is none of your business. What, are you going to buy me good cigarettes?”

“I can.” Lu Huaizhi nodded, “I’ll do some research when I get back and buy them for you.”

At the mention of research, Shi Sui thought back to the pursuit tactics Lu Huaizhi had noted down in his notebook when he brought him milk tea back then.

As well as the scene of him conversing so cheerfully with that girl just now. It made his temples throb intensely.

“Heh, I just like smoking this kind of low-quality cigarette.” Shi Sui lowered his head, placing the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it, and took a deep drag, looking at Lu Huaizhi provocatively.

Lu Huaizhi’s expression remained calm, and he didn’t stop him, merely staying by his side to accompany him. It gave Shi Sui the feeling of punching a piece of cotton.

The space between the two fell quiet for a moment.

The smoke in Shi Sui’s hand drifted toward Lu Huaizhi with the wind, breaking apart and slowly vanishing, looking as if it had been absorbed by Lu Huaizhi.

He suddenly recalled what Chi Qing had said earlier— [Secondhand smoke contains over 4,000 types of harmful substances and dozens of carcinogenic substances.]

Unsure if it was an aftereffect of the exams, Shi Sui remembered these numbers particularly clearly, let alone the fact that he had bought the cheapest kind of cigarettes.

Lu Huaizhi was a fool too, not even dodging.

Shi Sui flicked the cigarette ash, taking a step forward to move to the downwind position, turning his back to Lu Huaizhi.

“Are you angry?” Lu Huaizhi asked.

Shi Sui ignored him.

Their shadows were pulled very long under the streetlamp. Because of the angle they were standing at, the shadows overlapped a part of each other. Shi Sui looked at the head popping out on the ground, lifting his leg to stomp hard on top of it.

Only then did Shi Sui feel a bit more at ease, exhaling a plume of smoke, and spoke coldly, “Getting interrupted while playing a game makes me annoyed, is that not allowed?”

Lu Huaizhi looked at Shi Sui’s back. The other guy was leaning sideways against the wall in a lazy posture, the cigarette at his fingertips glowing with a scarlet fire, and the falling ash scattered into a small clump on the ground, which was stepped on by Shi Sui from time to time.

Shi Sui was throwing a tantrum, and it was directed at him.

“That girl indeed came to confess to me.” Lu Huaizhi suddenly spoke such a sentence.

Shi Sui’s posture against the wall stiffened, and he stomped hard on the ground once more, “Shut up, I have no interest in knowing!” His voice was so cold it sounded like it had fallen into an ice hole.

This time, Lu Huaizhi saw clearly that what Shi Sui was stepping on was his shadow.

“But I feel it’s necessary to report it to you.” Lu Huaizhi took a step forward, letting his shadow expose itself completely so it would be more convenient for the person to step on, “Furthermore, I rejected her.”

Shi Sui retracted his foot from Lu Huaizhi’s shadow.

Lu Huaizhi tilted his head, looking toward Shi Sui, “I told her that I already have someone I like.” “She even wished us happiness.”

The cigarette pack in Shi Sui’s hand was crushed flat by him. He really wanted to coolly throw out a sentence like: “Who wants to listen to your nonsense.”

But for a long time, his tongue felt like it was tied in a knot, unable to pop out even half a word.

Shi Sui wanted to take a puff of the cigarette to calm himself down, but looking at the smoke drifting toward Lu Huaizhi’s side, his hand lowered again.

This guy truly brought him bad luck.

Shi Sui rubbed his ear, feeling it was burning even hotter than the cigarette in his hand, so he simply snuffed out the smoke.

“Don’t understand what you’re talking about.” After easing up for several minutes, Shi Sui only squeezed out this single sentence.

Lu Huaizhi paused, “Then should I say it one more time?”

Shi Sui: “…” “Shut up.”