Chapter 112 - 112 112

Words : 1400 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

112: 112. Life is but a first sight 112: 112. Life is but a first sight “Finally graduated—” In the boys’ dormitory, Li Yunpeng exhaled a plume of smoke. His eyes narrowed slightly amidst the swirling haze, reminiscing about the past three years of high school with a mix of fondness and sighs. The last exam had ended yesterday. The next day, the school notified the senior students to pack up their personal belongings from the dorms. Thus, all six residents of room 303 gathered together, perhaps for the last time in this life, before scattering to different corners of the world the day after. As these words fell, the previously noisy dormitory fell silent; the students paused their packing and silently looked at each other. Parting suddenly with roommates you’ve lived with day and night was hardly something anyone could truly be ready for. “What are you all acting like maidens for? It’s not like we won’t see each other again,” Gu She spat disdainfully, his eyes barely concealing his discomfort with the sentimental atmosphere. Li Wenxue, kneeling on the top bunk, forced a smile. “Old Gu is right. It’s not like we won’t meet again, especially you, Li Yunpeng, and Ah Feng at the same university. You’ll see each other every day.” “Huh—” Li Yunpeng flicked his cigarette butt out of the window and exhaled a cloud of smoke, then clapped his hands. Clap clap clap— As all eyes turned to him, Li Yunpeng suggested, “This might be the last time all six of us can gather together. How about we go out for dinner tonight?” “Just us would be too boring; let’s invite our classmates too,” Gu She added. “That’s a plan!” Song Nan adjusted his glasses and loudly agreed. In just a few words, the evening plans were settled, and Gu She shouted, “I’ll go call the others,” before running out of the dorm. The night’s gathering dispelled the sadness of parting, and the dormitory atmosphere returned to its usual liveliness. Li Yunpeng went back to his bed, tore down a poster from the wall, rolled it up, and threw it into the wastebasket. He glanced sideways and hesitated before speaking, “Lu Li, are you coming?” “I don’t think he will,” Li Wenxue’s legs dangled from above, swaying as he spoke. Li Yunpeng, looking annoyed, pushed away the smelly feet and looked towards the subject of the conversation, “Why say that without asking him, right Lu Li?” The figure in the lower bunk lifted his head. A handsome face suddenly came into view, tranquil as if the calmness named peace flowed through his brows, his deep black eyes seemingly unfathomable and undisturbed, as if nothing could ripple through them. “Hiss... Every time I see you, I question my sexual orientation,” Li Yunpeng clutched his chest, feeling distinctly uncomfortable as he turned his head away. “Haven’t you gotten used to it in three years?” Li Wenxue hopped down from the top bunk, teasing, and then turned to Lu Li, jokingly adding, “Come on, it’s our last gathering. Besides, you might just catch the eye of a pretty classmate there.” Drip—Drip— The sound of dripping water echoed somewhere. Lu Li’s deep eyes lowered slightly, briefly lost in thought, then lifted again, “I’ll go too.” All the roommates looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. ... A group of thirty or forty students walked along the street toward the dimly lit, pre-booked food stall. Conversations between classmates blended into a noisy tumult. The roommates still didn’t know whether it was those words or something else that had motivated Lu Li to attend the gathering. They wore expressions of dream-like bafflement on their faces, occasionally looking back at the quiet figure walking last, dressed in a white shirt layered with a black coat. He had been wearing the same outfit since enrollment, never changing it in three years—perhaps he might never change at all. As the sky darkened and the sunset faded, neon lights began glowing in the roadside restaurants. The students arrived at the arranged food stall and took their seats at the tables set up outside the shop. Six people to a table, just enough for one dormitory. The rest of the classmates were dispersed around them. “What are you having, Lu Li?” Li Yunpeng sat down and handed Lu Li a menu. “Anything,” Lu Li answered without taking the menu. Li Yunpeng shrugged nonchalantly, stood up and shouted “Order whatever, it’s on me,” then sat down and ordered some skewers. As the night drew in, neon lights flickered along the long street, and the aroma of barbecue filled the chaotic scene. The ordered food gradually arrived; roommates popped open beers and started eating and drinking, gradually forgetting Lu Li. The same noise erupted at other tables around them as classmates freely reveled in their last gathering. Such a scene continued for about ten minutes, then the noise suddenly died down a bit. At some point, the adjacent food stall was filled with figures in black suits, ominously silent. Li Yunpeng glanced over, they were quite far away, so he didn’t care. The atmosphere heated up again until suddenly, a lazy voice rang out clearly, “Hey, isn’t it kind of bad to talk bad about others behind their backs?” The food stall fell quiet, the students looked around in astonishment, not understanding what was happening. “What’s wrong with you guys!” a student shouted, pounding the table as he stood up, his girlfriend gently tugging at his sleeve. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, it was a time prone to impulsiveness and anger. Seeing a conflict arise, a group of clueless male classmates stood up, unwilling to be outdone. Clatter— The men in suits stood up at the same time, their expressions grim. Surrounding pedestrians and diners watched, the atmosphere turning severe. “Behave yourselves, what’s the fuss about coming out to eat,” a figure in sunglasses emerged from the crowd. “They are just high school graduates, inexperienced. Let’s not start a fight, but we can’t let them off too easily either...” The man in sunglasses stroked his chin, pondered for a while, then waved to call over his subordinates. “Erzi, take some people and buy all the cakes from the next door cake shop, and also beer and wine, the kind that sprays far with a lot of foam.” The standoff continued, someone quietly took out a phone to call the police. A few minutes later, the young man known as Erzi and the men in suits returned with several boxes of beer and cakes. The man in sunglasses picked up a beer bottle first, tapped it on the table to knock off the cap, shook it vigorously, then moved his finger away. A stream of white beer foam surged towards the students. Amid screams and dodging, the man in sunglasses flashed a wicked smile, “Let’s give these students still in the Ivory Tower a fierce celebration!” The men in suits cheered and started hurling cakes at the students. Chaos ensued. A cake, dodging obstacles, headed straight for Lu Li’s table. “Protect him! Protect him!” Li Yunpeng yelled, leaping forward to block the cake soaring towards Lu Li. He was spared, while Li Yunpeng himself got hit in the chest with the palm-sized cake, ending up in a mess. He looked down blankly, scooped up a piece of cake from his chest and threw it forward, cheering as he joined the fray. Beer foam sprayed and cakes flew in all directions as countless figures scampered in front of them. Lu Li sat quietly at the dining table, tucked in a corner, indifferent to the dramatic scene unfolding before him. At a certain moment, Lu Li lifted his gaze, his black eyes cutting through the layers of figures to settle on a figure sitting quietly at a dining table about ten meters away. It was a pair of similarly calm black eyes, serene, tranquil. No emotions showed, nor any expression. She just sat silently at the round table, immaculate. In that moment, the melee around them seemed to turn into slow motion as the two people at two round tables locked eyes. In that look, a thousand years seemed to pass.

Chapter 112 - 112 112

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