NOVEL NEXT Ch. 6
Chapter 6: Eating
“……Miss Yan.”
“You’re hungry.”
Bai Lengci looked at her instantly reddened cheeks and the way she held her stomach, wishing she could curl up into a ball—an utterly adorable sight.
His hoarse voice carried a faint trace of subtle ease.
“I…I’m not…that…”
She was incoherent, her cheeks so hot they could fry an egg.
Her eyes darted around in panic, everywhere except the bed where he lay.
“It’s just… last night… this morning… I didn’t really eat much…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller until it was almost a mosquito’s hum.
She was so embarrassed that she wished she could vanish on the spot.
All her guilt, all the teacher–student boundaries—at this moment, they were drowned out by the loud call of hunger.
Bai Lengci watched her flustered manner, and that faint smile lingered on his pale face a little longer.
He propped up his still-weak body, trying to sit up.
“Don’t move!”
Yan Junzhu instantly forgot her embarrassment and instinctively reached out to press his shoulder down, her movement carrying undeniable concern.
“You just broke your fever, lie down honestly!”
The authority of a teacher instantly returned to her, even though a blush still lingered on her face.
Bai Lengci obediently leaned back against the pillow without asking further.
His gaze swept the nightstand.
He reached for his phone.
His fingers slid across the screen a few times, unlocking it, then naturally handed it to Yan Junzhu.
“Whatever you want to eat, just order.”
His voice was still hoarse, tinged with weakness from illness.
“And while you’re at it… order me something too.”
After saying that, he reported the phone’s unlock password.
Yan Junzhu stared, stunned, at the phone he was handing over.
The action was too natural, too trusting.
She subconsciously took it.
“This… this isn’t right, I—”
“Payment is bound.”
Bai Lengci cut her off, concise and to the point.
It seemed he had exhausted the little strength he had used just now.
His eyes closed wearily, long lashes casting deep shadows beneath them.
His breathing slowed, becoming steady.
“Sorry to trouble you, Miss Yan…”
He mumbled vaguely, his voice lower and lower.
Clearly the medicine and fatigue were dragging him back into sleep.
Yan Junzhu held the phone, still warm from his touch, and looked at his peaceful sleeping face.
She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally sighed softly.
Carrying the phone, she tiptoed out of the bedroom.
……
Bai Lengci was woken by the faintest shaking and a familiar voice calling.
“Bai Lengci… wake up, eat something before you sleep again.”
He slowly opened his eyes, greeted by Yan Junzhu’s enlarged, stunningly beautiful face.
This time, his vision was much clearer, the dizziness gone.
He tried moving his arm.
Though still sore and weak, it was far better than the heavy, leaden exhaustion from before.
“Mm…”
He answered with a low sound.
His voice was still hoarse, but his breathing was obviously steady.
Propping himself up, he sat.
This time, Yan Junzhu didn’t stop him—she only carefully supported him.
He instinctively glanced outside the window.
The sky was dyed deep orange and indigo.
Evening.
He had slept an entire day.
Yan Junzhu supported him slowly into the small living-and-dining space.
On the dining table, two opened takeout boxes were neatly placed.
The aroma of food filled the small space—it was rice and simple home-style stir-fried dishes.
Beside them sat a cup of warm water.
“I ordered some light porridge and side dishes, you should be able to eat a little.”
Yan Junzhu spoke softly, helping him pull out a chair.
The two sat face-to-face, quietly starting their meal.
The warmth of the food slid down his throat, dispersing weakness and chill.
Bai Lengci didn’t eat much, while Yan Junzhu seemed truly famished.
Though she tried to remain refined, her pace was clearly faster than usual.
For a time, only the soft clinking of chopsticks and bowls sounded on the table.
Silence spread, but it wasn’t suffocating.
Rather, it carried a subtle peace, as though they had survived hardship together.
Bai Lengci set down his spoon, lifting his gaze to Yan Junzhu, who was sipping her porridge with her head lowered.
Under the dim yellow light, she wore his T-shirt, barefaced, her hair casually tied back with a few stray strands hanging at her temples—completely different from the Miss Yan at school.
He pondered briefly, then voiced the question lingering in his heart.
His voice was low, probing:
“Miss Yan.”
He paused.
“Can you tell me about last night… why you were there so late?”
Yan Junzhu’s hand holding the spoon froze.
She lifted her head, eyes flickering, as if wrestling with herself.
Her long lashes lowered, casting small shadows beneath her eyes.
Several seconds passed before she finally seemed to decide, speaking in a low voice filled with fatigue and grievance:
“My parents… they want to force me to marry someone I don’t like.”
She struggled to speak, each word sounding squeezed from her throat.
“Yesterday… the fight was really bad. I… I couldn’t take it, so I ran out.”
Bai Lengci listened quietly without interrupting, his gaze calm, as though hearing a story unrelated to himself.
Yan Junzhu drew a deep breath and continued, her tone tinged with helplessness and self-mockery.
“I was originally going to stay at my best friend’s place for a night.”
Her fingers unconsciously picked at the edge of the plastic box.
“But then… on the subway, my bag… was stolen. My phone, wallet, keys… all inside.”
“Penniless, no phone, unable to reach anyone… and I twisted my ankle… cold, hungry, in pain… so… so I just sat there.”
“And then… I met you.”
Bai Lengci watched her quietly.
Her account was brief, deliberately glossing over the humiliation and despair she had felt.
As she spoke, she unconsciously quickened her eating pace, as though trying to use food to fill some hollow unease within.
A thought suddenly flashed across his mind.
Watching her bury her face in the takeout box, eating as though she might crawl inside—and recalling that loud stomach growl earlier…
Miss Yan… could it be that from last night until now, she hasn’t eaten at all?