Five Percent Sugar

His tone was cold and annoying, just as usual.

Yet, Lu Huaizhi managed to use that exact voice and a calm expression to hand him one of the milk teas.

Shi Sui stared at the cup in his hand for a long time. Why was Lu Huaizhi using his pursuit tactics on him?

Before Shi Sui could figure out the reason, the cup was suddenly snatched away by another hand.

“You two are standing here like you’re in a face-off, blocking my light.” Li Lulu disgustedly shook the condensation off the cup. “What, is this milk tea making things difficult for you? I’ll just solve the problem for you.”

She poked the straw through the seal, took a large gulp, and exhaled a comfortable sigh. After drinking, she seemed to realize something and looked at Lu Huaizhi. “Little brother, you probably don’t mind me drinking this, right?”

Lu Huaizhi met her half-smiling gaze and pursed his lips. “I don’t mind.” If Li Lulu hadn’t stepped in, Shi Sui might have thrown the milk tea directly in his face.

Shi Sui’s fists had been clenched tight just a moment ago.

Just then, customers entered the internet cafe, and Shi Sui returned to the counter.

Once people were out of earshot, Li Lulu sized Lu Huaizhi up and said slowly, “You’ve got quite the nerve, don’t you?”

Lu Huaizhi placed the other milk tea on the table, closed his notebook, and looked down without speaking.

“Little brother, for the sake of the milk tea, I’ll give you a piece of advice.” Li Lulu swirled the drink in her hand, her words pointed. “He isn’t someone you can mess with. You’d better not play jokes like this on him.”

At midnight, Shi Sui was forcefully kicked out by Li Lulu.

“I’m fine tonight, you don’t need to be on duty. Go back and sleep early. Staying up every night will stunt your growth.” Li Lulu blatantly occupied Shi Sui’s spot at the counter and didn’t forget to toss his backpack out.

Shi Sui caught the bag and wanted to say something, but Li Lulu waved him off. “Next time you go to Grandma’s house, remember to say hello for me. And close the door when you leave.”

Lu Huaizhi was kicked out along with Shi Sui, holding his unfinished Five-Three workbook.

The two glanced at each other and quickly looked away.

For some reason, Shi Sui felt uncomfortable staying near this guy, so he took the lead and walked to one side. Footsteps followed closely behind.

“Want milk tea?” Lu Huaizhi asked.

It was late. Most shops on both sides of the street were closed, with only a few lights left on. One of them belonged to a milk tea shop, its orange glow appearing soft and quiet in the night.

But Shi Sui wasn’t buying it. He didn’t even stop walking. “I’m not drinking it. Sweet things are sickening.” The rejection was blunt and sounded very impatient.

“Then what do you want to drink?”

Shi Sui’s fist tightened. He turned around and said coldly, “Are you f*cking done?”

“Do you really think I won’t hit you?”

There was no one around anyway. Dragging him into an alley for a beating would probably make him behave.

Just as the thought arose, he saw Lu Huaizhi lower his eyes. “I just moved here. I don’t know the way.”

“So I wanted to treat you to milk tea and ask for your help.”

His voice was very soft. As he spoke, he shed all his sharp edges, appearing gentle and harmless. The anger Shi Sui had gathered for a fight suddenly dissipated.

He didn’t lay hands on people who weren’t aggressive.

However, Shi Sui still didn’t have a good look on his face. “Don’t you know how to use GPS?”

“My phone is dead.” Lu Huaizhi held up his black-screened phone in front of Shi Sui’s eyes.

Shi Sui: “…” Were all those outlets in the internet cafe just for decoration?

He really couldn’t understand the logic of these top students.

“We’ll pass a bus stop in a bit. You can wait there and call a cab!” Shi Sui really didn’t want to linger at the cafe entrance. His home was nearby, anyway.

Lu Huaizhi’s eyes flickered. Just as he was about to speak, Shi Sui interrupted.

“Don’t tell me you have no money…” Shi Sui looked at him gloomily. “No money, yet you’re buying milk tea?”

Lu Huaizhi paused for a moment before saying, “I almost forgot. I have cash.”

The two walked one after the other through the complex, twisting streets of South Alley.

Lu Huaizhi had just transferred to this city. It was normal for him to get lost in a place as complicated as South Alley. Shi Sui didn’t doubt this.

Still, he felt uneasy. That feeling of being suppressed was back, especially since Lu Huaizhi would occasionally drop a question.

“Student Shi, do you live with your grandmother?” Shi Sui ignored him.

“Where do you live?” “What about your parents?”

“Dead!” Shi Sui could no longer endure it. “Shut the f*ck up, or I’ll kick you into the pond to feed the fish!”

They happened to be passing a pond. The night was silent, save for the occasional splash of a small fish.

Perhaps truly deterred by Shi Sui’s words, Lu Huaizhi was quiet for a few minutes.

But it was only a few minutes.

“Student Shi…”

Shi Sui abruptly stopped, turned around, and said expressionlessly, “You’d better pray your next words don’t make my fist land on your face.”

Lu Huaizhi paused, his gaze going over Shi Sui’s shoulder. “The bus stop is here.”

Shi Sui: “…”

A bizarre silence fell between them, lasting for a full two seconds.

It was Lu Huaizhi who broke the silence first. “Actually, there’s one more thing. I left the infirmary too quickly today and forgot to take the medicine the doctor prescribed.”

“So…” Lu Huaizhi seemed to be choosing his words. “Can you go with me again tomorrow?”

“What? Don’t know the way again?” Shi Sui’s face was taut and cold. “Or are your legs broken?”

Lu Huaizhi pursed his lips and didn’t speak.

Shi Sui: “Just get the medicine yourself and send me the bill.”

Lu Huaizhi seized the opportunity. “Then I’ll add you on WeChat.”

Although his tone was natural, Shi Sui immediately became alert.

The second rule of that guide was: [Get the other party’s contact information.]

“I don’t have WeChat.” Shi Sui shoved a hand in his pocket and lied without blinking. “I’ll pay cash.”

This time, it was Lu Huaizhi’s turn to fall silent.

As they spoke, the bus stop appeared before them. There was an old residential area nearby; Shi Sui’s home was there.

Shi Sui took a step forward, and Lu Huaizhi instinctively followed, making Shi Sui’s eyelid twitch.

He spoke with a warning: “If you follow me again, I’m really going to hit you.”

Lu Huaizhi froze for a moment. Whatever he was thinking, the corners of his mouth curved into a very slight arc. “Mhm. I won’t follow.”

Lu Huaizhi stood under the bus stop sign. With the light behind him, Shi Sui couldn’t see his expression clearly. He only felt that the guy had finally quieted down and wasn’t pestering him anymore.

Shi Sui didn’t hesitate. He turned and left, his pace fast.

Lu Huaizhi stood in place, watching his silhouette merge into the night, and whispered, “See you tomorrow.”

Times change, but people don’t.

The next day was Saturday. School dismissed early in the afternoon.

During the break, the students were exceptionally active. Even Shi Sui was rarely not sleeping; instead, he was looking down at his phone.

“Shi Sui, where are we going this afternoon?” Wang Cheng turned around from the front desk. “A new barbecue place opened in South Alley. Shall we go grab a bite with the brothers?”

Shi Sui didn’t look up. “We’ll see.”

Seeing him so focused, Wang Cheng thought he was researching something impressive. He leaned in and saw a bunch of colorful little animals on Shi Sui’s screen.

With a casual swipe, special effects flew. He could even hear the exaggerated sound effects from Shi Sui’s Bluetooth earphones.

“Seriously? You can play Happy Pop with this much focus?”

“You’re blocking my light!” Shi Sui pushed the head away, not forgetting to retort. “How can you eat Little Raccoon instant noodles with so much focus?”

Wang Cheng was rendered speechless. Seeing that Shi Sui had no time for him, he looked around boredly and happened to see Lu Huaizhi next to Shi Sui writing fervently.

Lu Huaizhi was solving a physics force analysis problem. Those arrows made Wang Cheng’s head spin.

However, he recognized that Lu Huaizhi was doing the homework the physics teacher had handed out that morning. It looked like he was almost finished.

Wang Cheng tested the waters. “Top student, still doing problems?”

Lu Huaizhi didn’t stop writing, but he gave an “mhm” in response.

Wang Cheng felt there was hope. “There are many parts I don’t understand. Can I take a look at yours?”

Lu Huaizhi: “Sure.” He stopped his pen and handed the finished worksheet to Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng forgot to take it for a moment. He really hadn’t expected Lu Huaizhi to agree so readily.

If it were his Class Monitor deskmate, one look would make the monitor sensitively cover the homework with a book, afraid he would see even a speck.

By comparison, Lu Huaizhi’s image in Wang Cheng’s heart took a massive leap forward.

His status was nearly reaching that of his childhood friend, Shi Sui!

So, when Lu Huaizhi asked him about the location of the barbecue shop he mentioned, Wang Cheng said directly, “You’re interested too? I’ll add you on WeChat and send the location to you.” He added politely, “If you’re free tonight, you can come along.”

Lu Huaizhi tilted his head to look at the person playing the game beside him and agreed. “Okay.”

The gaming-addicted Shi Sui had no idea what kind of deal these two had made. He was stuck on a level he couldn’t pass. His energy was depleted. In the last round, only one block of ice remained unbroken. Furious, he threw his phone into his desk and grabbed his water bottle to take a huge gulp to quench his anger.

Just as he screwed the cap back on, he saw Wang Cheng and Lu Huaizhi chatting happily.

Since when did these two get so close?

Before he could look closer, someone at the front door called him. “Shi Sui, a girl is looking for you!”

At those words, Wang Cheng and Lu Huaizhi both turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

Wang Cheng: “Where did you get a girl?”

Lu Huaizhi didn’t speak, but he looked up slightly, quietly watching him as if waiting for an explanation.

This gaze made Shi Sui feel bizarre. Wang Cheng was one thing, but why did he have to explain anything to Lu Huaizhi?

Shi Sui arched an eyebrow. Under the gazes of the two, he slowly stood up from his seat. Then, he paused intentionally for two seconds to build suspense. Just as Wang Cheng thought he was going to say something—

Shi Sui turned neatly and walked out of the classroom.

Explain my a*s. I don’t even know who it is.

Outside the Class 3 classroom, a girl in a white dress was standing by the hallway, holding a cup of milk tea and looking at her toes rather awkwardly.

She had long hair and light makeup, looking quite cute.

Perhaps she was too shy; she only reacted with an “ah” once Shi Sui was standing right in front of her.

“He… Hello. I’m a freshman. My name is Tao Lingwei.” Her voice was stuttering from nervousness.

Shi Sui found her familiar but couldn’t remember where he had seen her. He frowned and asked, “Are you looking for me for something?”

“I’m the girl you saved in South Alley the night before last,” Tao Lingwei explained quickly. “The light was too dim then, so you probably didn’t see clearly.”

Thinking of that night, Tao Lingwei’s face turned redder. She handed the milk tea to Shi Sui. “Thank you so much for that day!” After speaking, she peeked at him and whispered, “Is it convenient to add you on WeChat?”

Looking at the milk tea, the first thing Shi Sui thought was— Is everyone’s pursuit routine exactly the same now?

He originally wanted to refuse, but after a moment of hesitation, he still took her milk tea. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

With so many eyes in the classroom watching, girls were thin-skinned; he was afraid she would be embarrassed if he rejected her.

Seeing that Shi Sui didn’t mention WeChat, Tao Lingwei’s eyes dimmed. She made an excuse about having things to do and ran off.

When Shi Sui entered the classroom carrying the milk tea, he found Wang Cheng was gone.

Lu Huaizhi: “Wang Cheng said he couldn’t watch anymore and went out to cool down.”

Shi Sui placed the milk tea on the desk. “Oh.”

He took his phone out of his desk, wanting to see if his Happy Pop energy had restored.

Accidentally looking up, he found Lu Huaizhi staring intently at the milk tea on his desk.

“That milk tea is the same as the one I ordered last night,” Lu Huaizhi spoke.

This shop was a famous local chain in An Cheng. He had ordered the signature drink, and so had that girl. Even the sweetness level was the same: seventy percent.

Yet Shi Sui had rejected him on the grounds that it was too sweet.

Shi Sui obviously knew what he was thinking. He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head. “And?” He had a lazy appearance of not caring at all.

If this were a girl being treated with such a double standard, their heart would probably be in pieces.

Shi Sui wanted this exact effect. It was best for Lu Huaizhi to reflect on himself and realize how ridiculous his actions were.

“I see.” Lu Huaizhi reached out and straightened the chair Shi Sui was leaning back in. The chair hit the floor with a soft thud.

Lu Huaizhi spoke: “Next time, I’ll choose fifty percent sugar.”

Shi Sui: “?”

Who the f*ck is having a next time with you?