Chapter 300 Class Dismissal

He swiped to open the screen and saw a voice message from Cheng Yue in the group chat. He didn't open it; there was a text conversion option next to it.

Cheng Yue: Brothers, are you done with get out of class? How's that mala tang place near the West Gate? I'm starving.

Cheng Yue: Xiao Jue, you've got all these fancy words to say, so why don't you lead the way?

Xiao Jue: get out of class just ended on the fifth floor. The teacher is going overtime. Wait for me for two minutes.

Cheng Yue: Where's Zhou Heng? Have you finished class yet?

Zhou Heng adjusted the shoulder strap of his backpack and typed: Just left the classroom, see you at the west gate.

The corridor was as crowded as a subway during rush hour. Zhou Heng walked along the wall, trying to avoid physical contact with anyone.

As he walked down the corridor to the stairwell, almost simultaneously, a large group of people surged down from the corner of the stairs above.

The two streams of people converged in the stairwell, like two rivers colliding, instantly forming a narrow, impenetrable passage.

Zhou Heng was swept forward two steps by the crowd. He tried to step aside, but people kept surging up behind him, leaving him no room to maneuver.

His backpack was pushed to the side, and someone bumped into his shoulder. He frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

Just as he was about to grit his teeth and squeeze down, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and firmly placed on his shoulder.

Like a wall that appeared out of nowhere, it decisively pulled him out of the crowded throng and brought him close to its side.

Zhou Heng subconsciously turned his head, his gaze falling into a pair of smiling eyes.

Xiao Jue appeared beside him at some point, with less than a fist's distance between them.

His shoulders were a head taller than Zhou Heng's, and his body was a size wider, like a half-open screen, completely blocking the flow of people coming from the corridor from Zhou Heng's left.

"You're walking way too slowly." Xiao Jue turned his head to look at him, a smile as usual on his lips, his voice tinged with a hint of teasing.

Zhou Heng glanced in his direction.

Xiao Jue was wearing a thin black sweatshirt today, with the neckline slightly open, revealing a small section of his collarbone.

He looked both energetic and carefree, a perfect blend of contradictory qualities, like a perfectly mixed drink.

Zhou Heng looked away. "Did you get the breakfast I asked you to get?"

"I took it. There were just too many people at the stairwell. I almost got knocked over by the little brat at the corner on the fifth floor. Luckily, I had a steady hand, so I only spilled a little. It's nothing serious." Xiao Jue said casually, his steps always keeping pace with Zhou Heng's.

"Aren't you going with Cheng Yue and the others?" Zhou Heng asked.

"Cheng Yue? That kid ran off as soon as get out of class ended, saying he was going to save seats," Xiao Jue said with a smile. "He runs faster than a rabbit; I couldn't catch him even with my soy milk in my hand."

They slowly walked down the stairs.

Xiao Jue always walked on Zhou Heng's left, on the outside, blocking out the most crowded side of the corridor.

As the two walked out of the teaching building, the sunlight hit them in the face. The midday sun in autumn was bright but not harsh, and it felt warm on their skin, making them want to squint.

Cheng Yue squatted by the flower bed at the west gate, scrolling through his phone. Fang Yuzhou stood next to him, holding a copy of "Introduction to Algorithms" borrowed from the library, flipping through a few pages while waiting for him.

When Cheng Yue looked up and saw the two of them walking over together, he immediately jumped up from the edge of the flower bed.

"You two are finally here! I've been waiting forever, and Yuzhou has already finished half a book!"

Fang Yuzhou closed the book, a barely perceptible curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "No, he's exaggerating."

Afternoon classes ended early, before four o'clock, and the sunlight still had a lazy feel to it, shining obliquely through the window and casting a warm light on the desk.

When Zhou Heng returned to the dormitory, Fang Yuzhou was already there, sitting at his desk in front of the computer screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard. There were three or four open textbooks on the table, each covered with colorful sticky notes.

Cheng Yue wasn't there. On his bed was a short-sleeved shirt he had changed out of, and a phone charging cable dangled from the head of the bed and coiled up on the floor.

Zhou Heng walked to his own little plot of land, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

At 5:30, the dormitory door was pushed open.

When Xiao Jue walked in, he was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a package in the other, with his earphones hanging around his neck. He looked relaxed and carefree, like a large dog that had been basking in the sun.

When he saw Zhou Heng sitting in the chair, the corners of his mouth immediately curved into a smile.

He walked over, put the coffee on the table, and picked up the bag in his hand and opened it.

The bag contained a new pair of black headphones, with a string of English specifications that Zhou Heng couldn't understand printed on the box.

Xiao Jue opened the packaging, put on the headphones to try them out, then took them off and turned to look at Zhou Heng.

"Have you cleaned this table and sink again?" he asked. "It wasn't this clean when I left this morning."

Zhou Heng didn't deny it, "Just doing it on the spur of the moment."

"Your quick fix is ​​more effective than my deep cleaning." Xiao Jue put the old headphones into the drawer and placed the new ones on the table.

Zhou Heng glanced at him but didn't reply.

Cheng Yue pushed open the door at six o'clock sharp, carrying a bag of fruit. As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Come on, I bought oranges. Everyone get a few, don't fight over them!"

He put the bag on the table, and several oranges rolled out, rolling to Fang Yuzhou's keyboard, to Xiao Jue's coffee cup, and one even rolled to Zhou Heng's feet.

Zhou Heng bent down, picked it up, and placed it on the table.

Cheng Yue had already picked up an orange and started peeling it, saying as he did so, "I have something to tell you guys. This afternoon I ran into a senior from the sports department on the playground. She asked if I wanted to join the college basketball team. I said I'm not very good at it, but she said it's okay, they're just filling in. What do you guys think, should I go?"

"Go ahead." Xiao Jue leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his new headphones. "It's not like I'm asking you to go pro, it's just for fun."

"And what about you? Are you going to fight?" Cheng Yue asked.

Xiao Jue thought for a moment, "I used to play before college, but I haven't played much since. Let's talk about it later."

Zhou Heng was peeling an orange with his head down. He had peeled the orange peel into a long, unbroken chain that spiraled from top to bottom and was neatly laid out on a tissue.

Xiao Jue glanced at it a few more times.

Zhou Heng seemed to sense that gaze, his fingers paused slightly, and he raised his eyelids.

Xiao Jue didn't dodge; instead, he laughed, "You're so particular about peeling oranges?"

Zhou Heng put a segment of orange in his mouth without saying a word.

The orange was very sweet, and the juice burst in my mouth, with a perfectly balanced hint of tartness.