Chapter 12 (1/2)

Chapter 12

Edited by: Planetes

Fang Zhaomu’s good luck did not complete its journey.

It was Restaurant Week. With a heavy workload, he had stayed in the lab for an entire day. Completing his tasks for the day early, he left alone to have dinner. The soup had only just arrived, and Song Yuanxun, who had not been the lab the whole day, entered the restaurant.

Mercifully, Song Yuanxun did not come here with Zhang Ranyu and Zhou Meng. The two people next to him were people that Fang Zhaomu did not recognise. They were probably Song Yuanxun’s business major classmates, as the way they dressed were more formal than the students who often spent their time in the lab, and their behaviour was high-spirited.

Just like normal, Song Yuanxun’s expression was indifferent. Bringing along with him a cold wind as he stepped inside, he even glanced at Fang Zhaomu. Fang Zhaomu had originally felt much more relaxed as he had not seen Song Yuanxun that day, but who would have thought that he would bump into him outside school. Next time he stepped out of the door, he would not be lazy, and must flip through the almanac to take a look at his luck for the day.

Fang Zhaomu looked down and perked his ears up. The host asked them if they made any reservations, and one of the two he did not recognise stated his name. A server then led them upstairs.

This restaurant had a difference between its upper and lower floors, and even the chefs and menus were different.

Fang Zhaomu thought that business students were truly extravagant. The next time he brought Andrew here, as ordinary people, it would be very nice for them to share a meal downstairs, sitting at this table next to the window.

Misfortune came in threes. Fang Zhaomu had just finished his soup, and a classmate from his group who was in charge of collecting the data gave him a call, saying that there were issues with all the data he had analysed this week, they could not be matched to the results another person did. The professor was now waiting in the lab and wanted Fang Zhaomu to quickly return.

Fang Zhaomu was extremely helpless. He did not wait for the rest of his food to come, but settled the bill, called for a taxi and rushed back to school.

Panting, he ran into the lab. Two classmates were waiting for him, while the professor had already left as he could wait no longer. He scrutinised his results from top to bottom with his classmates, and finally sighed in relief when they found out that the issue lay with the other person.

It was 9.30pm when Fang Zhaomu left the lab. The weather was very cold, and the wind blew strongly. Fang Zhaomu’s scarf was not thick, and the cold air squirreled into his body through the gap between his scarf and coat, freezing him.

He was in a hurry when he headed back to the lab, so he did not feel that it was cold. Now that things were settled, walking alone in the dark campus, he realised that it was really bitingly cold.

About to reach the school gate, Fang Zhaomu’s phone in his pocket vibrated. Now, hearing the vibration, he would be scared. Hesitating for a few moments, the vibration did not stop, and he finally took his phone out to take a look.

Andrew was calling him, and there were also a few notifications showing that he had messages that were unread. In his nervous state just now, Fang Zhaomu did not register that he had received any texts.

He answered the phone, greeting him. Andrew’s deep and steady voice could be heard, and Fang Zhaomu felt a slight twist in his heart.

What lovers’ set, what dessert, sharing a meal downstairs. Fang Zhaomu had imagined so much, but in the end, he did not even get to finish eating his meal.

He did not have anyone to talk to, and could only listen to Andrew’s voice. He ran through the miseries he wanted to tell others in his mind, and treated it as though he had already talked to someone about it.

“Were you busy just now?” Andrew asked him casually.

“Yes,” Fang Zhaomu pressed his phone against his ear as he walked, the back of his hand already numb with the cold wind brushing against it. Pretending that everything was fine, he spoke to Andrew, “Something came up at the lab, so I was busy until now.”

“What happened?”

“There were mistakes in my classmate’s data, so we spent the whole evening verifying it.”

Andrew paused and asked Fang Zhaomu, “You’re still in the lab?”

“No, I’m not. I’m going home now. What about you, have you reached your hotel yet?”

“I’m there.”

“Have you had dinner?”

“I’ve eaten. How was the restaurant?”

Fang Zhaomu was dejected. “I’m not sure. Just as I finished the soup, I was called out. The mistake really gave me a scare, and I still don’t feel hungry now. If the professor comes tomorrow, I still need to explain it to him.”

Andrew’s voice sounded a little disapproving. “You have to eat.”

“I don’t feel like eating.” A strong gust of wind blew past. Fang Zhaomu hugged himself tightly and complained to Andrew, “Andrew, I’m very cold.”

“Where are you now?”