DCISBS chapter 63

By the following week, the medical research group’s project deadline was looming. Every time Xie Quan thought he couldn’t possibly be any busier, reality would deal him a heavy blow and remind him of his limits.

The lab had practically become a shared dormitory for the group members. On one side were desks pushed together, piled high with messy documents and professional books. On the other side were folding beds and sleeping bags scattered all over—giving off a bit of a war-zone scholar vibe.

That whole week had been pure torture for Xie Quan.

Living and sleeping alongside these juniors meant he had no privacy at all. As someone with clear personal boundaries, he not only had to endure people constantly encroaching on his space, but also the endless snoring at night. And as the group leader, he couldn’t lash out freely either—lest the already once-fractured team fall apart again, jeopardizing their paper submission.

Thankfully, in the midst of this misery, Xie Quan had one thing to look forward to each day: three meals a day, personally delivered by Lu Nanyang to the lab door.

The first time Lu Nanyang showed up, he startled everyone in the lab. One of the juniors even thought he had come seeking revenge, and ran to the restroom to find something—only to come out heroically wielding a mop handle, just in time to see Lu Nanyang calmly opening a lunchbox on the table. The fragrant aroma instantly filled the air.

It was soup dumplings from that shop behind the school—a clear, savory broth encased in translucent dough, with a hint of meat filling peeking through. They looked as delicious as could be.

The juniors all let out a collective “wow” and instantly forgot any past grudges, pouncing like hungry wolves. One of them reached out for a dumpling, only to have Lu Nanyang slap his hand away.

“If you want to eat, go buy your own. This is for your senior, Xie Quan.” Lu Nanyang pushed the lunchbox in front of Xie Quan.

Xie Quan was lowering his eyes to skim a research paper. His long eyelashes caught the morning sunlight, making his features appear even more delicate. “I’m not hungry,” he said.

“Even if you’re not hungry, you still have to eat a little,” Lu Nanyang said, his tone gentler than usual as he firmly pushed the lunchbox forward. “Otherwise your body won’t hold up.”

Xie Quan set down the paper in his hand, his gray eyes narrowing, a touch of flirtation appearing out of nowhere. “You think a few dumplings are enough to fill me?”

“Only soup dumplings for now,” Lu Nanyang emphasized each word as he pushed the box a little closer. “No complaints allowed.”

Xie Quan stared at him for a while, then seemed to lose interest. He set the paper aside and broke apart a pair of disposable chopsticks.

The junior standing nearby with the mop handle was completely bewildered. For some reason, his two decades of language skills were failing him—he couldn’t make sense of the conversation at all.

What did that even mean? What was going on?

Why did Senior Xie just say he wasn’t hungry, but then say he wouldn’t be full? Why could Lu Nanyang understand that cryptic comment so perfectly?

Weren’t they practically at each other’s throats the last time they met? So why was Lu Nanyang suddenly bringing him food?

Xie Quan popped a soup dumpling into his mouth and bit down.

There was no taste—but the thin, translucent wrapper broke open and released a burst of broth, blending with the tender chewiness of the meat filling in a delightful way.

He could imagine it probably tasted quite good. Not every soup dumpling could achieve this kind of texture. In fact, it was the first time he had ever tasted one like this.

“Wow, Senior Lu, you’re so biased!” a junior exclaimed. “Aren’t those Zhou Ji’s soup dumplings? I got up super early yesterday to buy them and still had to wait in a super long line, and you actually bought them just for Senior Xie?!”

“Shut up.” Lu Nanyang knocked him on the head and said matter-of-factly, “Who’s the hardest-working person here? Isn’t it your Senior Xie? What’s wrong with him eating something nice?”

Probably reminded of all the recent hardships, the junior cleared his throat guiltily. “No, no, nothing wrong at all.”

Lu Nanyang nodded in satisfaction, then his eyes swept to the side and landed on another junior holding a mop handle. “And you are…?”

That junior gave an awkward smile. “Mopping, mopping.” Then he proceeded to mime mopping the air with the mop stick.

Xie Quan glanced sideways at the two of them, the corners of his lips curling into a faint smile.

From then on, Lu Nanyang showed up exactly on time at every mealtime to deliver food to Xie Quan at the research lab.

The contents of the meal box were different each time—sometimes store-bought, sometimes homemade—but all of it had one common trait: a deliberate focus on texture and variety.

The first meal was Zhou Ji’s soup dumplings, the second time was silky Japanese tofu, the third was crispy and delicious fried pork bites, the fourth was soft and creamy cheese risotto…

Each bite brought a different kind of freshness. For Xie Quan, eating finally came to mean more than just maintaining basic bodily functions.

Not only that, the whole research group started copying Lu Nanyang’s food choices and praised his culinary planning nonstop. Just hearing the juniors rave about the food brought back the joy Xie Quan used to feel when he still had a sense of taste.

One day when Lu Nanyang came to deliver food, he used the lab’s bathroom, leaving his phone on the table without locking the screen.

Xie Quan casually glanced over and immediately saw the search history on the browser:

• “What are some foods with good textures?”

• “Foods suitable for people with taste disorders.”

• “Top crunchy-textured foods.”

• “Ranking of cuisines with crispy textures.”

• “How to help people with taste disorders eat better?”
  …

Xie Quan’s fingers instinctively tightened, leaving a faint mark on the screen.

From not far away came the sound of a toilet flushing. Moments later, Lu Nanyang walked out of the restroom, shaking water droplets off his hands. His gaze swept across the table and landed on his phone in Xie Quan’s hand.

He smiled at Xie Quan. “I’m heading out.”

Unexpectedly, Xie Quan stood up, grabbed Lu Nanyang’s arm without a word. “Come with me to the bathroom.”

Lu Nanyang stumbled slightly from the pull. “I just came from the bathroom…”

“You’re going again.” Xie Quan said concisely.

That bathroom visit lasted an hour before they finally came out. Lu Nanyang felt like even his brain matter had nearly been emptied along with everything else.

Xie Quan was like a blooming poppy—boldly and recklessly flaunting the beauty heaven had gifted him.

People who are thirsting for something are themselves a kind of poison, or maybe they’ve already been poisoned by each other long ago, like birds naturally yearning for the sky, or fish naturally yearning for the sea.

…..

At the end of the week, the research team’s project was finally completed.

The day it ended was a Friday, and classes ended earlier than usual that afternoon. Lu Nanyang left class two minutes early to grab something from the dorm, just in time to find Wen Fei, who had skipped a class, playing games in bed.

“Didn’t go to class?” Lu Nanyang asked casually.

“What’s the point of professor Qian’s class? Doesn’t highlight key points, doesn’t follow the textbook. You listen and still don’t understand—no matter what, we’re all failing.” Wen Fei replied listlessly.

Lu Nanyang shrugged, grabbed his stuff, and was about to leave the dorm.

“Hey, wait up.” Wen Fei paused his game and called out to him. “What’ve you been up to lately, huh? I never see you around anymore. You don’t even come back to the dorm at night. Your bed’s piled with other people’s stuff now.”

Lu Nanyang glanced at his bed. Sure enough, it was a total mess, covered in things, with not even a spot left to sit.

“Leave it. I’ll deal with it when I come back to sleep.” Lu Nanyang said.

“Tch, seriously. This is how you treat your good friend who’s worried about you?” Wen Fei looked annoyed. “Have you even looked in the mirror? Do you know what you’ve turned yourself into these days?”

Lu Nanyang paused, walked to the mirror and studied his face. Clicking his tongue, he said, “You’re exaggerating. I look totally fine—nothing’s wrong.”

“Not fine. Look at your skin tone—way more yellow than before!” Wen Fei jumped down from the bed, insisting. Then, as if suddenly struck by a thought, he lowered his voice, “Wait… don’t tell me… something happened at home?”

Lu Nanyang froze, and the person in the mirror froze too, quietly staring back.

Sensing the mood shift, Wen Fei hesitated, unsure if he should keep pressing.

But Lu Nanyang spoke first.

“It’s not family stuff.” He turned to look at Wen Fei and gave him a radiant smile. “I’m in love.”

Wen Fei: ???

…..

That Friday afternoon, the campus was bustling.

Most students were out walking or exercising. Couples were slipping off-campus to book hotel rooms. Groups of guys hung out, joking and cursing, laughter filling the air.

Lu Nanyang walked a few steps forward and quickly spotted Xie Quan standing under a tree.

He was surrounded by a group of girls—some holding gifts, others just watching. At a glance, he looked like a celebrity being mobbed by fans.

Oh right, today was Qixi, Chinese Valentine’s Day.

A girl with a long ponytail and sweet features held a bouquet of roses. She seemed confident as she lifted her chin and offered the flowers to Xie Quan.

“Dr. Xie, happy Valentine’s Day. These are for you.”

To her surprise, Xie Quan merely gave a faint smile. “Thank you, but I can’t accept it.”

The girl clearly hadn’t expected to be rejected, and an expression of open shock appeared on her face.

Didn’t girls give him gifts every year?

She’d never heard of anyone’s gift being rejected before!

With the pretty girl’s bouquet refused, the eyes of the other girls around immediately lit up. Almost at the same time, they all crowded in front of Xie Quan, pulling out the gifts they had prepared.

“Dr. Xie, I made this chocolate myself…”

“Dr. Xie, my mom taught me how to weave this flower…”

But Xie Quan only gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry, it’s not your fault. It’s just that I really can’t accept your gifts anymore.”

“Why not?” one bold girl asked.

“Because…” Xie Quan smiled gently at her and answered plainly, “I already have a boyfriend.”

The circle of girls around him seemed to explode like a string of firecrackers. Xie Quan, however, calmly walked away from the blast zone, completely ignoring the shockwaves he’d left behind.

Lu Nanyang had been standing there with his arms crossed, watching Xie Quan with an amused expression. Only when Xie Quan strode up to him did he lower his voice and speak, “So, the campus heartthrob has a boyfriend now, huh? Who’s the lucky guy worthy of such a title?”

Xie Quan gave him a sidelong glance, his gaze cutting through the reflective lenses of his glasses. “Some idiot who’s grinning like a fool and looking completely lovestruck.”