“I’ll help out first, Li Bin. You can grab the meals for me.”
He walked over, collected six lunch boxes, and stared at her intently. She quickly lowered her head.
“Th… thanks.”
“What’s going on?” Xu Lin ignored her thanks and continued with a cold face.
“Just lending a hand.”
“If it’s for a classmate, fine. But why this many meals? Did they make you buy them alone?”
Xu Lin was certain this was high school bullying. Justice might be delayed or absent, but he couldn’t ignore it.
Slacking off is acceptable at the right time, but when it’s time to act, one should. He might even call the police for help if needed.
“I’ll go check it out with you.”
“No, really, no one is bullying me. They just…”“I won’t listen. I want to see it with my own eyes.”
“Fine…” The dark-skinned senior glanced at him a few times and ultimately chose to compromise.
Not far away, Li Bin and his friends, seeing Xu Lin and the girl walking and talking, became curious.
“Xu Lin… Ji Yun didn’t accept his confession, so he found a country girl?”
“Hey, don’t say that. She’s just a bit dark-skinned, but her profile is good.”
“But she can’t compare to Ji Yun.”
“There aren’t many who can compare to Class Monitor Ji.”
“Maybe he doesn’t know her. Didn’t Xu Lin say just now that he was only going to help her carry those things?”
“He doesn’t know her, and he still helps her? But yeah, maybe they know each other. Xu Lin is a kind guy; I saw him help an old lady cross the street last time.”
Their school’s cafeteria had those metal tables for four people, sometimes connected in pairs or threes. About 6 or 7 sets lined up.
Following Bai Xiaoxiao from the food window, they walked from one end of the cafeteria to the other. Then, they saw 5 or 6 girls waving towards them, or more accurately, towards Bai Xiaoxiao.
Xu Lin couldn’t help but smirk. Dealing with girls, going in as a lone guy—speaking too lightly might be ineffective, but being too confrontational or arguing with girls wasn’t right either.
“Oh, by the way, do you have a younger brother?”
“No…”
“Any younger cousins?”
“Yes, but…”
“That’s good enough.”
So, Xu Lin took a deep breath and walked alongside Bai Xiaoxiao, getting closer to the group of girls.
“Xiaoxiao, over here, I saved you a seat.”
But before they reached them, a girl shouted something, leaving Xu Lin momentarily puzzled.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a “hurry up, we’re starving, why did you make us wait so long” kind of line? It was different from what he imagined.
“Hey, who’s this handsome guy? Your boyfriend?”
“No, no!” Bai Xiaoxiao immediately waved her hand, nearly sending a lunch box flying.
“Don’t let the box fall to the ground!”
A girl with a single ponytail hurriedly caught the box and distributed the others to everyone.
“Hello. I’m her cousin, second year, Xu Lin.”
“Oh, have you eaten? If not, then sit down and join us!” A girl immediately shifted a bit to make room for him.
“No, no, my classmates are waiting for me. I just came to help her carry the food.”
“Oh, I said I’d go with you, but you insisted on going alone.”
A girl with long hair said, then pulled Bai Xiaoxiao to sit next to her.
“You treat me to a meal. How can I let you do the work?”
“But don’t you help us by bringing us food? We live on campus and can’t bring outside food into the dorms. It’s all thanks to you that we can eat outside foods. Plus, you’ve been helping us with our assignments too.”
Meanwhile, Xu Lin stood there, feeling increasingly awkward. He had gathered the courage and some pent-up frustration, but before he could unleash it, he decided to abort.
“Well then, enjoy your meal. I’ll head out.”
“Sure.” Bai Xiaoxiao nodded, and the others waved him off.
As he took a few steps outside, he overheard some girls saying, “If you have trouble at home, you can ask your cousin for help.”
“Your father couldn’t come to this city because of work, but your cousin seems to already live in Linshui. You might as well live in his house.”
“Isn’t it a bit intrusive? Xiaoxiao is so kind; she wouldn’t”
As the voices faded, Xu Lin turned around, lowering his gaze. Dozens of pairs of shoes came into view, representing various brands with prices ranging from a couple hundred to around a thousand. There were also some ordinary sneakers from lesser-known brands, but one pair stood out.
Though worn and seemingly old, a pair of white shoes remained surprisingly clean. It struck him that in different worlds and places, life takes on various forms.
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