SBAB Chapter 21

Lin Xin shot over to Cheng Shiyin like a gust of wind. Cheng Shiyin had just seen Lin Xin wave to her from the window when he suddenly appeared in front of her.

Cheng Shiyin knew it wasn’t polite to describe someone as a dog, but she couldn’t help applying that analogy to Lin Xin over and over because he was just so similar.

Breathless from running, Lin Xin stood in front of Cheng Shiyin, gasping for air, trying to hide his visible excitement when he saw Cheng Shiyin come to find him—he looked just like a little dog waiting for its owner to come home, wagging its tail if it could. Cheng Shiyin almost wanted to scoop him up and hug him.

Cheng Shiyin handed the bag to Lin Xin, who opened it to find a pair of shoes identical to the ones he was wearing.

Lin Xin wasn’t sure what Cheng Shiyin meant, but he still happily asked, “Is this for me?”

“More like…” Cheng Shiyin couldn’t help but smile as she pointed at Lin Xin’s feet. “It’s a replacement, not a gift.”

Lin Xin glanced down where Cheng Shiyin was pointing, his face immediately turned red as he realized he was still wearing mismatched socks and slippers—so embarrassing!

After a moment, Lin Xin’s face cooled down a bit. He set the bag down, sat on the ground, and swapped out the mismatched slippers for the new sneakers. Then, he placed Cheng Shiyin’s blue slippers back in the bag and handed it to her, saying, “Sorry for making you run out like this over something so silly.”

Cheng Shiyin smiled and said, “No worries, it’s kind of funny.”

Pretending not to understand Cheng Shiyin’s words, Lin Xin quickly changed the topic: “Um… can I walk you to the school gate?”

“Sure,” Cheng Shiyin said as she stepped closer to Lin Xin, walking side by side with him.

As soon as Cheng Shiyin and Lin Xin aligned to walk together, a head popped out from a second-floor window behind them, shouting, “Wait! Don’t leave yet!” before quickly disappearing again.

The two couldn’t see who it was, so they decided to wait a moment. Soon, Lin Xin’s three roommates appeared in front of them. Xia Xia said, “Let’s grab a bite to eat together.”

Lin Xin pointed to Cheng Shiyin, refusing Xia Xia’s offer. “I need to walk Cheng Shiyin back to her school, so I can’t join you guys.”

But Xia Xia added, “Wu Lian is treating, just come along.” She then turned to Cheng Shiyin, “You should come too, it’s kind of an apology from him.”

Hearing Wu Lian’s unfamiliar name, Cheng Shiyin instantly knew it belonged to the chef club president who had tricked her into being a waitress for the day. Since he was treating, she couldn’t exactly say no. So, Cheng Shiyin held onto Lin Xin’s hand as he tried to refuse again and agreed, “Okay, fine, I’ll go too.”

With Cheng Shiyin on board, Lin Xin couldn’t refuse anymore. He took the bag from Cheng Shiyin, saying, “I’ll take care of the heavy stuff.”

Xia Xia quickly noticed that Lin Xin’s shoes were back to normal, guessing the bag held his old slippers. Lin Xin certainly had his quirks.

Xia Xia smiled mischievously as she squeezed between Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin, casually prying for information from Cheng Shiyin.

“Where did you guys go yesterday? Lin Xin didn’t tell us, he just disappeared this morning and didn’t come back until late. We all thought he was dragged off to a scammer’s den.” Xia Xia half-joked.

Cheng Shiyin didn’t pick up on any hidden meaning in Xia Xia’s words, thinking her roommates were just concerned. She explained, “We just went shopping but got back too late, and the dorm was already closed. I had Lin Xin stay with me for the night. Sorry for worrying you guys.”

Lin Xin listened more and more, feeling like it was his father-in-law and mother-in-law interrogating their son-in-law. He quickly pushed Xia Xia aside, making sure she stayed away from Cheng Shiyin. He then warned Cheng Shiyin, “Xia Xia is tricky; you can’t trust what she says, just don’t.”

Once they reached the school gate, everyone stopped walking. Lin Xin and Cheng Shiyin didn’t know where to go—they just exchanged confused glances. Meanwhile, Zhang Yun and He Xiangtong looked at Xia Xia, signaling her to contact Wu Lian. He Xiangtong, as a member of the cooking club, didn’t have Wu Lian’s contact information, but Xia Xia did. It was Xia Xia who mentioned that Wu Lian was treated to dinner.

Xia Xia looked at the empty school gate and wondered, “Wu Lian said someone would meet us here and take us to the dining spot.”

Just as Xia Xia spoke, a man dressed like an attendant stepped around the corner. He bowed to them and said, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Am I living in the modern age?” Everyone silently wondered this, keeping their usual expressions—no one looked shocked, and no one asked out loud. They just waved it off, saying, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

“Then please follow me,” the attendant said, turning and leading the way. As they walked, he apologized, “I didn’t think the road outside the school gate would be so narrow, making your friends walk so far.”

“No worries, no worries,” they all feigned nonchalance. Only Lin Xin had pulled out his phone and was quickly sending frustrated messages: Wu Lian turned out to be super rich, like old feudal rich!!

After walking for about five minutes, the attendant finally stopped. In front of them was a sleek black super-long luxury car. He Xiangtong leaned over and whispered to Zhang Yun, “That’s a stretched Lincoln, isn’t it? A stretched Lincoln!”

“I wouldn’t know, I don’t know cars,” Zhang Yun said.

“Me neither, but I know a stretched Lincoln has a long body,” He Xiangtong added.

Xia Xia suddenly piped up, “Well, I’m better than both of you, I know buses can be pretty long too.”

“This little kid sure has a sense of humor,” the attendant’s comment—whether a compliment or a slight—prompted the trio to shut up and stop speculating.

The attendant opened the car door, stepped over to Xia Xia, and extended his hand, signaling her to get in. After Xia Xia climbed in and thanked him, the attendant closed the door and took the driver’s seat, leaving the rest standing around.

Without the attendant opening the door, they had to do it themselves. This clear distinction made them feel uncomfortable as if they shouldn’t have come at all.