After sitting for a while, Lin Kang finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Um, Pei Ran, I'm not trying to gossip, I'm just curious... you and Luo Qingshan, did you really break up because you weren't compatible?"

Pei Ran asked back, "What do you think?"

"How could I possibly guess?" Although Lin Kang said that, he continued, "It couldn't be because of Su Nian, could it?"

Pei Ran's action of flipping through the menu paused, and he stopped talking.

Lin Kang was a completely straight guy, the type who wouldn't realize his girlfriend was angry until several hours later. If a friend hadn't mentioned it to him last night, he would never have thought of this.

The key thing was, when he thought about it later, those two... were pretty damn weird.

"So it's true? Aigh, holy crap, no wonder Su Nian was being so passive-aggressive in the group chat that day..." Lin Kang said, "Is there anything you need help with? Just say the word. I can't stand this kind of stuff."

"No, we've already broken up." Pei Ran didn't really want to continue this topic.

But Lin Kang didn't get the hint. "Don't be polite with me. Even though I'm closer to Luo Qingshan, I side with reason, not relationships. How about I help you curse him out?"

This would go on forever if they continued. Pei Ran thought for a moment, then spoke carefully, "There's really no need, but I do have something to ask you."

Lin Kang quickly asked, "What is it?"

"Was Yan Zhun also a student at Manzhong High School before?"

"Yeah... huh?" Lin Kang was baffled.

Pei Ran said, "I don't think I saw him around much back then."

"No way?" Lin Kang was immediately sidetracked. "He was pretty famous in high school, he was in the same grade as me. But our classroom was on the first floor, several floors away from you guys. Oh, right, he also won a net cafe's PUBG competition. You haven't heard of that either?"

Back then, PUBG was all the rage. A high school student winning a gaming competition was more eye-catching than getting first place in the city on an exam.

Pei Ran unconsciously squeezed his cup with one hand and shook his head.

"Then you really were... focused on your studies." Lin Kang said, "At the time, forget about just in school, someone even took a photo of him during the competition and posted it online. It was just a side profile, but it got over twenty thousand retweets. Super impressive."

Now that he mentioned it, Pei Ran remembered.

Not that he remembered Yan Zhun, but he remembered that Weibo post.

When he had scrolled past it, the keyword "Mancheng" had caught his eye. He'd even clicked on the enlarged image, but before he could get a clear look, Luo Qingshan had covered his phone, jokingly saying he wasn't allowed to look at other boys.

Pei Ran said vaguely, "I think... I have some recollection of it."

"What did you recollect about me?" a familiar voice came from behind.

Both of them froze. Especially Pei Ran, whose eyes suddenly widened, his face a picture of panic and embarrassment at being caught.

He turned his head stiffly and, through the fake plant behind him, met Yan Zhun's gaze.

Pei Ran rarely had such an expression. Yan Zhun watched him for a few seconds before glancing at Lin Kang beside him and explaining, "I wasn't eavesdropping. I've been sitting here for a long time."

There were partitions between each booth in the restaurant, making it hard to notice if you weren't looking. Lin Kang came back to his senses. "I really didn't see you... You came out to eat alone?"

"Got stood up." Yan Zhun glanced at the customers queuing outside the restaurant and said, "How about we share a table? There are a lot of people waiting outside."

The moment Yan Zhun sat down, Pei Ran felt that the four-person table had become a bit crowded.

He had never talked about others behind their backs, and to think the first time... he got caught.

Pei Ran clutched his phone, looking down without a word, trying his best to diminish his presence.

"What were you talking about?" he heard Yan Zhun ask lazily.

"About you winning that championship in high school," Lin Kang said. "Pei Ran didn't even know you went to the same school as him."

Yan Zhun wasn't modest. "He's a top student. It's normal for him not to pay attention to games."

Lin Kang looked down at his phone and complained, "Why is this class group chat so noisy? It's just a sports meet, can't everyone just sign up for an event to fill the spots? What did you guys sign up for?"

Yan Zhun said, "Haven't signed up yet."

Feeling both their gazes on him, Pei Ran said obediently, "I signed up for the 3000-meter race."

"Impressive. Forget it, I'll just slack off and get by." After saying that, Lin Kang picked up his phone and stood up. "I'm going to the restroom, and I'll call the counselor while I'm at it."

Once Lin Kang left, the table fell silent.

Pei Ran unconsciously pursed his lips, mentally searching for an excuse to leave.

'If you can't resolve the awkwardness, then run away from it.'

Just as he finally found a pretext, Yan Zhun suddenly spoke, asking again, "What did you just recollect about me? Pei Ran."

Pei Ran was like a student who wanted to skip class but got called on by the teacher. He resignedly answered, "...I remembered that Weibo post Lin Kang mentioned."

Yan Zhun recalled it. The side-profile photo was very blurry, but thankfully, it wasn't ugly.

"It was just exaggerated praise, I'm not as amazing as they say."

Pei Ran hummed in acknowledgment.

The restaurant table wasn't big. When he looked down, he could see Yan Zhun's casually spread legs, and the sneakers he wore were also a certain brand's current season limited edition.

'...So how did I fall for it back when Yan Zhun said he was short on money and needed to be a paid companion player.'

As he was lost in thought, he saw Yan Zhun's shoe suddenly turn and lightly touch the side of his own shoe.

Yan Zhun lowered his eyes, comparing them for a moment, and concluded, "Your feet are pretty small."