[40. The Great God is Like Flower and like Jade]

Bai Lian Hua stood outside the door. It is currently eight in the morning and half an hour had passed since the agreed time with Song Qingge. Actually, he had been standing outside his door for forty minutes. Bai Lian Hua also didn’t know where his patience came from but he stood silently outside his door and did not dare knock or make a noise.

Bai Lian Hua’s father is a policeman and was a soldier in his younger days. He is very serious and old fashioned, and Bai Lian Hua couldn’t help but feel like he would be thrown out the house the next second whenever he sees his father…..but he remembered a lot of things his father had said. For example, “A man must be trustworthy and true to their words!”. And so, Bai Lian Hua become someone who is strict with time and works to complete things within a deadline. But at this moment, he was very hesitant. He raised and lowered his hand several times. Only after hesitating for a long time, he knocked on the door.

Then….the door opened. Hey hey! What is going on with this strange twist? Bai Lian Hua dumbfoundly started at the person who opened the door. The person inside looked at him and said: “Coming in? Or wait for me outside?” As always, his demeanor was very calm. Calm to the point that others would ignore the clothes that he was wearing….What did he just see? Great God carrying a garbage bag in his left hand and holding onto the door handle with his right hand. He was wearing a pair of white sheep slippers and pajamas with Tom and Jerry printed on…..

“…I will wait for you outside.” Bai Lian Hua said slowly. He then saw the door slam shut. The speed at which the door closed was lighting fast almost hitting Bai Lian Hua……well, if he wore that out, he would also be eager to slam the door shut. Bai Lian Hua reassured himself that it wasn’t because Song brother didn’t want to see him but because Great God was embarrassed….

After quickly shutting the door, Song Qingge massaged the corners of his eyes….Ugh, just then he didn’t comb his hair, brush his teeth or wash his face. Was there anything on his face that was seen by Bai Lian Hua? Why is he standing outside his door? Such a surprise…..No, now is not the time to think about this…….no, I seemed to have arranged an appointment with Bai Lian Hua yesterday?

Song Qingge took off his glasses and splashed his face with water… His face felt a little hot, fortunately you couldn’t tell just by looking.

… After about four or five minutes, Song Qingge came out. This time he was dressed normally and wore a orange shirt of a brand that Bai Lian Hua didn’t know, jeans and rimless glasses. His face was calm and emotionless, as if the embarrassing person he saw earlier did not exist. Bai Lian Hua once again couldn’t help but feel his respect for him rising to a new peak.

“It’s still very early do you want to go have breakfast together?” Bai Lian Hua looked at Song Qingge, who was taller than him by about a head, and asked sincerely.

Very good, the first sentence he said wasn’t something difficult. Song Qingge nodded and asked: “Where?”

“By the school gate. The breakfast shop’s beancurd is very delicious…” Bai Lian Hua said this as he pinched at the corner of his clothes, “Let’s go?”

“Why not?” Bai Lian Hua looked at Song Qingge’s eyes which didn’t reveal any signs of emotions and couldn’t help but feel a little upset…When is Song Qingge going to explain? Bai Lian Hua is actually feeling very anxious inside! He was feeling a small sense of expectations and yearning….you’re asking what he is yearning for? To be honest, even Bai Lian Hua didm’t know. He only knew that whatever Great God says, he will not be surprised. Sure enough, after experiencing so many blows, his heart had become a solid stone heart!

When they arrived at the breakfast shop, probably because most of the students had already gone back home, the shop was not as busy as it used to be. Bai Lian Hua casually selected a seat closer to the window and ordered two bowls of beancurd. Song Qingge sat opposite him but he didn’t know what to say. No matter how eager he was, he couldn’t just straightforwardly ask, “Are you Roommate?”.

Soon, the beancurd was served and when the waiter serving the beancurd saw Bai Lian Hua, he was surprised. “Classmate, it turned out to be you?!” The rough and heroic voice rang from above his head. Bai Lian Hua looked up slightly and at the waiter standing before him for a long time. He then had a sudden realisation: “Ah….you.” It was the heroic young man he saw last time at the restaurant! (KKnotes: see Ch10)

“What a coincidence to see you again!”The young man said as he patted Bai Lian Hua’s shoulders. He turned around and looked at the person sitting opposite Bai Lian Hua, paused for a second, and passionately exclaimed, “Good job, the person this time looks better than the last one!”

= 口 =? This was the exact expression on Bai Lian Hua’s face! “The one from last time? Which one?” From Bai Lian Hua’s eyes he was sending out a message: Don’t sabotage me!

“That tall and thin one who looks sunny when he smiles….” As he said this, as if he was afraid that Bai Lian Hua still couldn’t remember, he gestured with his hand as well, “About this tall, wearing a gray singlet…”

Bai Lian Hua thought for a long time, only to recall a faint memory of their encounter that day…..wearing a gray singlet, tall, skinny… “You mean Lin Egg… You mean Chu Zhongtian?”

“Is that person called Chu Zhongtian?” The young man wanted to continue chatting when a shout rang from the kitchen, “Luo Lan! Come and get these dishes!” To think that such a chivalrous and heroic young man had such a feminine and dainty name…..this made even Bai Lian Hua feel embarrassed!

Just as Bai Lian Hua wanted to turn around and joke about it to Song Qingge, he saw his complicated gaze and couldn’t help but feel himself shrink back….For some reason, he felt as if Song Qingge was looking at him as if he had just caught him cheating…..

“Uh Song Qingge I…..” I just want to say that he is my roommate. You don’t have to worry…..No, that’s wrong. Why does this sentence sound so strange? Why did he have to explain to Song Qingge? Bai Lian Hua, stop being so self obsessed —– Bai Lian Hua swallowed back the remaining words. Unsure if it was just his imagination, he thought he saw Song Qingge’s face get a little bit darker…….

Yes! It must’ve just been his imagination! Bai Lian Hua comforted himself. Don’t talk about comforting yourself Bai Lian Hua. Even if you do that, you can’t change Song brother’s bleeding heart…..

After the meal, Bai Lian Hua paid for the food and lead Song Qingge to the school’s chemistry lab…

“Song Qingge, do you still need anything? If you don’t, I will go first… Bye.” Bai Lian Hua handed over the lab key borrowed from the teacher and glanced at him.

“Yeah.” As usual Song Qingge only replied with single word responses, “Goodbye.”

Bai Lian Hua silently watched him for a moment and for some reason the question that he eventually blurted out was not the one he had initially wanted to ask: ”No one actually helped pay back the money right? You just didn’t want my money?”

He clearly saw hint of surprise flash across Song Qingge’s eyes for a second before he responded with: “Why do you think that?”

“Can’t you just tell me directly?”

“Yes.” As it turned out, Song brother is someone who cannot lie.

Bai Lian Hua looked at him with an “I knew it” expression. “In a few days—–I’ll return the money.” He said with with a tone of resolution.

“No need.”

“I must return it! This is a problem with a man’s dignity do you understand?” Song Qingge really didn’t understand….what does returning money have to do with a man’s dignity? Sure enough, he really couldn’t understand Bai Lian Hua. For Song Qingge he didn’t really care much about the concept of dignity. In his opinion, if he wants to treat someone well, he doesn’t want to take things like that into consideration…..It’s too troublesome. Too complicated.

“Then give me your number. Call me when you want to pay me back.” Song Qingge said. Bai Lian Hua nodded and saved Song Qingge’s number. “Remember to call me. I’ll head off first.”

Song Qingge waved his hand at Bai Lian Hua and then entered the laboratory.

Bai Lian Hua returned to the dormitory and logged onto the game. The two accounts of Roommate and Great Gods were offline as expected….. he couldn’t help but feel a little melancholic.

After accepting the daily tasks and going from one place to another, the bored Bai Lian Hua opened his Buddhist Scriptures. As he looked at his empty skills bar, Bai Lian Hua felt even more desolate….