The beginning of blackness

“I’ve mixed the rice for you.”

Recently, whenever it was lunchtime, Su Dai Dai would consciously carry her tray around others and silently sit down next to Yang Yuan.

Su Dai Dai gently pushed the plate towards Yang Yuan, her eyes full of expectation as she looked at him.

Yang Yuan looked down at the enormous amount of food on the plate. The white rice was mixed with shredded braised pork ribs and specks of green vegetables, looking quite appetizing.

She had mixed it very carefully, with every grain of rice coated in sauce, not just a casual stir.

“You eat first, I’m not very hungry right now.”

Yang Yuan said casually, still looking down at the “Handbook for Appreciating Superpowers” he had taken from the library.

“I’m not hungry either.”

“I’ll eat your leftovers after you finish.”

Su Dai Dai answered softly, her voice even lower than usual, but her growling stomach couldn’t hide her hunger.

“You don’t look like you’re not hungry. Be good.”

“Mmm… then I’ll eat?”

Without further refusal, Su Dai Dai lowered her head and started eating with her spoon as soon as she finished speaking.

In order to let Yang Yuan eat sooner, Su Dai Dai ate very quickly, her cheeks bulging.

The time they had spent together had indeed made their interactions less cautious.

Su Dai Dai no longer stammered for a long time whenever she spoke, like when they first met.

Watching the girl’s cute appearance as she gobbled down her food, a thought couldn’t help but pop into Yang Yuan’s mind.

“Why do I feel like this silly girl is getting cuter and cuter…”

The moment this thought emerged, Yang Yuan shook his head vigorously, as if to shake off some inappropriate idea.

“Mmm… it must be an illusion.”

A few minutes later, Su Dai Dai put down her spoon, pursed her lips, and looked down at the plate again. About half of the food was left.

Then, she gently pushed the bowl towards Yang Yuan, sat up straight, and said firmly.

“Eat!”

Yang Yuan looked at the remaining food on the plate and a trace of doubt arose in his heart.

‘Her portion is a bit smaller than usual. Could it be that she’s not full and wants me to eat more…?’

Worried that Su Dai Dai would go hungry because of him, Yang Yuan had no choice but to stand up and say to her.

“Just finish the rest. I’ll go get a new serving from Auntie Zhang.”

Hearing Yang Yuan’s words, Su Dai Dai’s expression instantly fell.

Her little face, which had been content from being full, suddenly showed a look of desolation, and her eyes began to turn red.

“Do you think I’m dirty too…”

“So… so you don’t want to eat the food I’ve eaten.”

After hearing this humble statement, Yang Yuan’s body couldn’t help but tremble. He never thought Su Dai Dai would think this way.

He was simply afraid that Su Dai Dai wasn’t full, but he had forgotten the shadow of her being verbally bullied by those children before.

His action just now could indeed easily lead to such a misunderstanding. Seeing the girl’s face on the verge of tears, Yang Yuan’s heart instantly panicked.

“No! That’s not what I meant!”

“I was just afraid you weren’t full, so I deliberately said that!”

To prove himself, Yang Yuan picked up his spoon, went straight for the plate Su Dai Dai had pushed over, scooped up a large spoonful of food, and quickly stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.

He even deliberately took a few more bites to show that he really didn’t mind.

Seeing Yang Yuan’s appearance as he wolfed down the food, Su Dai Dai’s originally sad little face changed in an instant, turning into a smile.

Just as Yang Yuan swallowed the last mouthful of food and before he could even take a sip of water to catch his breath, a harsh voice sounded in his ear.

“Yo, why is Su Dai Gua stealing Yang Yuan’s food?”

A girl in a short-sleeved shirt and long pants, with her hair in two ponytails, stood by their table, her tone full of contempt.

Hearing such a malicious statement, Yang Yuan couldn’t help but frown. Su Dai Dai beside him started to tremble, and the smile on her lips instantly disappeared.

The girl was visibly scared, her small body shrinking further towards Yang Yuan, her eyes under her bangs showing obvious fear.

Seeing her reaction, Yang Yuan instantly understood.

“It seems these two girls are the ones who usually bully Su Dai Dai.”

Su Dai Dai’s pitiful, fearful expression made the annoyance and anger in Yang Yuan’s heart begin to surface.

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

He was just about to reactivate his well-practiced [Flamer] skill and properly scold this little girl who hurt people with her words, to let her know what “trouble comes from the mouth” means.

“That’s right, Xiao Lin, don’t talk about Su Dai Dai like that. What you said is too hurtful.”

But before Yang Yuan could officially start his tirade, the girl next to the double-ponytail girl, who had been silent all this time, spoke up before him.

The girl’s tone was gentle and kind, seeming to be trying to mediate the situation, but her words carried a strange meaning.

Yang Yuan looked at the girl in confusion. He didn’t expect her to defend Su Dai Dai.

The girl called Xiao Lin was filled with surprise and confusion upon hearing her companion say this.

“Sui Sui, why are you suddenly speaking up for her? Aren’t you usually the one who’s harsher than me?”

“Oh, I just… changed, you know.”

Sui Sui grabbed her companion’s arm, pulled her a few steps away from Yang Yuan and Su Dai Dai, and lowered her voice to whisper.

“How could you betray me!”

Her friend’s complaint made Sui Sui smile a little awkwardly. She secretly glanced at Yang Yuan and found that he was looking in their direction, feeling a little excited.

She quickly averted her gaze, leaned closer to Xiao Lin’s ear, her voice unconsciously becoming excited.

“Hey, lower your voice!”

“Let me tell you, I’ve recently developed… a little crush on that Yang Yuan, so I definitely can’t be like before!”

“I want to leave a good impression on Yang Yuan, make him think I’m kind and gentle!”

Xiao Lin nodded mechanically after hearing her friend’s words, seeming not to quite understand what Sui Sui meant.

Seeing that her friend didn’t get it, Sui Sui hurriedly explained again.

“You can continue to bully Su Dai Dai as usual. Anyway, Yang Yuan probably doesn’t care much about her usually.”

“As for me, I’ll mediate on the side, pretending to stand up for Su Dai Dai, so I can rack up favorability points with Yang Yuan!”

“Oh… okay.”

Although Xiao Lin still didn’t quite understand the meaning of her friend’s complicated strategy, seeing Sui Sui’s confident look, she still nodded obediently.

“These two kids… do they really not know how loud their voices are?”

Yang Yuan heard the girls’ whispers clearly.

He didn’t expect these children, at such a young age, to be able to use bullying as a tool and even come up with such a hurtful plan.

Looking at Su Dai Dai, who was shrinking beside him, still with a look of fear on her face, an indescribable complex emotion suddenly welled up in Yang Yuan’s heart.

“Are you okay?”

Su Dai Dai’s shoulder trembled noticeably. It took a few seconds for her to realize that Yang Yuan was talking to her.

“Mmm… I’m fine.”

She didn’t want Yang Yuan to worry, but she couldn’t stop the feeling of panic in her heart.

Su Dai Dai felt she needed something tangible to confirm that she was safe.

“Can… can I hold your hand?”

“It might be a little better if I hold it.”

After saying all this in one breath, Su Dai Dai’s cheeks instantly turned red, the heat rushing to the top of her head.

She didn’t dare to look at Yang Yuan, her gaze fixed on her fingertips.

Yang Yuan didn’t say anything, just directly reached out his hand and covered Su Dai Dai’s small hand.

The moment they touched, Su Dai Dai’s body felt as if it had been zapped by electricity, and her tense body slowly relaxed.

“Thank you…”

Just then, Sui Sui and Xiao Lin finished their war council and walked over.

She nudged Xiao Lin with her elbow. Her friend received the signal and immediately stepped forward, shouting in a shrill voice.

“Yo, why are you playing the victim again? Su Dai Dai, aren’t you a bit too thick-skinned?”

“Do you think that by being a little pitiful, you can always cling to Yang Yuan? Do you really think you’re the female lead?”

Sui Sui immediately followed up, grabbing Xiao Lin’s arm and trying to persuade her in a hypocritical tone.

“Xiao Lin, don’t say that. Look how pitiful Dai Dai is.”

“She didn’t do it on purpose. We should take more care of her.”

Yang Yuan observed their duet and found it extremely boring. He turned his head and leaned close to Su Dai Dai’s ear.

“Ignore them, just pretend you’re watching a clown show.”

The word “clown” entered Su Dai Dai’s ears, and she immediately recalled what Yang Yuan had told her before.

The image of a figure with comical makeup and a red nose.

When Su Dai Dai looked at the two people in front of her again, one arrogant and the other posturing, she really couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft.”

This laugh was more lethal than any rebuttal. Sui Sui and Xiao Lin were both stunned in place.

They never expected that this Su Dai Dai, who would only lower her head and tremble in fear, would dare to laugh at them.

“What are you laughing at!”

Xiao Lin’s face turned beet red. She was about to hit someone out of anger and embarrassment.

“You glutton! I’ll tear your mouth apart today!”

But before her hand could land, a figure appeared in front of her. Yang Yuan stood up, his body, much taller than Xiao Lin’s, like a wall, completely shielding Su Dai Dai behind him.

Yang Yuan didn’t make a sound, nor did he make any extra movements. He just looked down at Xiao Lin who had rushed in front of him.

Xiao Lin’s raised hand froze in mid-air, and her forward steps also stopped. The pressure Yang Yuan exuded was too strong.

“You…”

Before Yang Yuan could even make his statement, the string in Xiao Lin’s mind completely snapped. She let out a sharp cry and turned to run out the door.

“No… let me finish.”

The entire cafeteria fell into a strange silence.

All the children’s gazes were focused on this small corner. They looked at Yang Yuan standing in front of Su Dai Dai, and at Sui Sui, who was left standing alone, her face pale.

In the air, the aroma of food seemed to have dissipated, leaving only solidified awkwardness and surprise.

“She runs pretty fast. She didn’t awaken a speed-related superpower, did she?”

Yang Yuan didn’t look at the gazes directed at him. His cold gaze withdrew from the doorway and slowly fell on Sui Sui.

Sui Sui’s body trembled uncontrollably. She stood there, not knowing whether to advance or retreat.

Yang Yuan only glanced at Sui Sui once before retracting his gaze, completely treating her as if she didn’t exist.

He turned around to face Su Dai Dai, whom he was protecting behind him.

Almost in the instant Yang Yuan turned around, the cold expression on his face disappeared without a trace, returning to his usual somewhat lazy appearance.

“It’s okay now, let’s go back.”

Su Dai Dai didn’t answer immediately, just kept staring at Yang Yuan. At this moment, her heart was already in turmoil.

‘So reassuring, I don’t want to move…’

This absolute sense of security made every cell in Su Dai Dai’s body relax, immersing her in an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Su Dai Dai wanted to be protected by Yang Yuan like this forever, surrounded by his presence.

“Why aren’t you talking? Are you scared silly?”

Yang Yuan slightly turned his body to see the girl’s expression. Only then did Su Dai Dai slowly raise her head.

When Xiao Lin had rushed over just now, Su Dai Dai had indeed been scared to death.

But the moment Yang Yuan stood up, all fear vanished, replaced by an ecstasy that almost made her tremble.

‘He stood up for me.’

‘This is the first time someone has cared so much about me…’