After autumn arrived, the nights grew much darker.
By 7:30 p.m., the sky was half-black as Su Pu and Li Jichuan arrived at A University’s football field.
Li Jichuan still felt a bit dazed and kept confirming with him, “You… really just wanted me to come here?”
Su Pu nodded, pushing Li Jichuan’s wheelchair through the crowd, finding a spot at the front with no obstructions.
【Ouyang is about to confess to the person he likes. I want to go with him.】
Li Jichuan raised an eyebrow. “Ouyang?”
Su Pu explained matter-of-factly: 【He’s a part-time student at the café. You’ve seen him there; he’s the one who handed you coffee.】
To be honest, Li Jichuan couldn’t even recall what that server looked like.
He only remembered that the kid had been clingy, insisting Su Pu introduce him—seemed like they were quite familiar.
But now this guy was going to confess…
Suddenly, Li Jichuan felt he wasn’t so annoying after all.
【The match starts at eight. Ouyang will play, too. We’ll cheer him on!】
Su Pu handed Li Jichuan a handmade cheer flag and a banner.
Li Jichuan slowly unfolded the banner. Eight bold characters leapt out, impossible to ignore:
“OUYANG OUYANG, INVINCIBLE!”
Su Pu’s cheeks flushed briefly—he looked a little embarrassed.
【Made it a bit last-minute…】
Li Jichuan folded the banner and set it aside. “Just so you know, I’m not holding this…”
Was he supposed to care about appearances?
Su Pu then took out a cheer flag of his own and hung a whistle around his neck—
Even if he couldn’t speak, his enthusiasm had to match the moment!
Soon he would make the crowd roar!
【You don’t even need to hold one…】 Su Pu typed back.
Li Jichuan felt a chill down his spine—this did not bode well.
“What about this banner…” he asked cautiously.
Su Pu smiled shyly.
【Can I hang this banner on your wheelchair later? Just hook it between your armrests; it won’t get in the way [cute][cute]】
Li Jichuan inwardly cursed—this little mute really was pushing his luck!
He regretted feeling pity for him.
It would’ve been easier to just take him along to a party to fill in the numbers…
But Su Pu, as if oblivious to his expression, crouched down cheerfully and hooked the banner onto his armrest.
“Take it down!” Li Jichuan ordered, his face dark.
But the crowd of students gathering for the match had grown noisy, and his voice was drowned out.
Su Pu peeked around, smiling like a playful little deer in the woods.
Li Jichuan watched him and… somehow didn’t feel so angry anymore.
Suddenly, a waft of fragrance drifted past.
Li Jichuan turned his head. A few girls nearby had colorful snacks tied to their wrists, steaming hot.
Li Jichuan never ate food of uncertain origin, especially street food with questionable hygiene.
But it smelled so good…
The smoky, savory aroma teased his appetite.
He looked at Su Pu, who was waving toward a certain direction.
A few moments later, Ouyang, dressed in sportswear, arrived.
“Su-ge, this is really your friend?”
Ouyang recognized Li Jichuan—the man whom Su Pu had personally taken care of.
“Have you eaten yet, sir?”
Ouyang looked between Su Pu and Li Jichuan, making small talk.
Su Pu smiled warmly at him, still not responding in words.
As luck would have it, the surrounding crowd quieted briefly, and at that exact moment, Li Jichuan’s stomach growled.
Grrr————
Ouyang froze. “So… you haven’t eaten?”
Damn it.
Li Jichuan felt embarrassed, not wanting to respond at all.
Su Pu typed a message to Ouyang. Ouyang pointed in a direction, and Su Pu nodded.
Then he typed a message to Li Jichuan.
【Wait right here, don’t move. I’ll go get some food.】
Li Jichuan obediently nodded, and Su Pu turned to weave through the crowd.
There was still some time before the match began. Ouyang didn’t rush either, exchanging glances with Li Jichuan.
“I’m Ouyang. How should I address you?”
Ouyang extended his hand proactively.
Li Jichuan shook it. “Li Jichuan.”
Ouyang hissed softly, repeating the name—he felt like he’d heard it somewhere before… but couldn’t recall.
“You’re friends with Su-ge? I didn’t even know Su-ge had friends. He’s always so lonely.”
Ouyang smiled, saying, “Sounds pretentious, I know, but you’re really the first friend I’ve ever seen Su-ge have.”
Li Jichuan let out a chuckle.
He was honestly surprised to find himself here.
“You really are Su-ge’s friend?”
Ouyang asked again, this time with genuine concern in his tone.
“Su-ge is a really, really good person. You have to be a good friend to him, okay?”
Li Jichuan raised an eyebrow, his expression brimming with a “who are you to tell me what to do” defiance.
Ouyang shrugged. “Anyway, if you dare bully my Su-ge, I’ll hit you!”
Li Jichuan crossed his arms. “You’d hit a disabled man?”
“Ah?”
Ouyang froze—he definitely wouldn’t dare.
It wouldn’t be an honorable victory.
“Anyway, my Su-ge isn’t a pushover either, just so you know!”
Ouyang’s tone carried a subtle warning.
This piqued Li Jichuan’s interest. He looked at Ouyang and repeated, “Not a pushover?”
Ouyang hesitated. “I’m only saying it because you’re his friend…”
“Su-ge seems gentle, but he’s actually strong at his core.”
“Once, a celebrity collaborated with our café, saying he wanted our help filming a launch vlog. His new role was a barista, you see…”
“He came to our café for research, but he had a terrible temper—snapping at everyone. He even made a young girl in our café cry. His demands were endless: sometimes the air conditioning was too cold, other times holding a latte art pose was too tiring…”
“It was supposed to be a vlog, but he secretly installed cameras throughout the café and forced us to close for filming. Those days, everyone was tense and on edge.”
“But who is Su-ge? While no one else could deal with the celebrity, he obeyed everything and even taught him our café’s secret recipes…”
Hearing this, Li Jichuan couldn’t comprehend it. “Why would he be so nice to someone like that?”
Ouyang pursed his lips, evasive. “We wondered the same… why go out of your way to curry favor…”
“Then, after the filming ended, the celebrity publicly released our secret recipes as fan perks. Totally breached the agreement—shameless!”
Li Jichuan felt a surge of righteous indignation.
Su Pu was so kind and innocent, yet he got backstabbed like that—how heartbreaking.
“But the problem was, fans who tried to replicate the recipe made terrible coffee. Soon, other baristas warned against using it—it was basically useless…”
“That’s when a video suddenly went viral online, showing the celebrity bullying our staff at the café, exposing that his so-called ‘research’ was just staged.”
Li Jichuan was surprised. “Didn’t the celebrity come back to cause trouble?”
“He did!” Ouyang clapped his hands. “The thing is, Su-ge happened to take his two-year accrued vacation during that period—he was gone for half a month. The celebrity and his assistant came over repeatedly but could never find him.”
“This matter couldn’t be escalated; after a few failed attempts, they just gave up…”
Li Jichuan laughed silently to himself.
That little mute… really something!
But why was he always so invested in other people’s affairs?
When it came to his own brother or an annoying roommate, his temper could be endless.
Yet when it was his own business, he just went along with things?
Lost in thought, Li Jichuan’s gaze suddenly caught a bright red, steaming object in front of him.
Instinctively, he leaned back—then realized it was food Su Pu had placed before him.
Also steaming hot.
“What’s this?” Li Jichuan asked, inexperienced with street snacks.
Ouyang answered for Su Pu, “Grilled squid. Haven’t you tried it?”
Li Jichuan didn’t respond directly, gripping the wooden skewer.
Perhaps it was hunger, but the food looked especially appetizing.
Turning slightly, he saw Su Pu already taking a big bite of his own grilled squid, smiling with satisfaction.
Watching him, Li Jichuan felt that maybe this food wasn’t so hard to eat after all.
He followed Su Pu’s lead and took a large bite, savoring it.
Mmm… delicious!
What a treat!
Soon, the entire skewer was gone.
Before he could even fully relish it, Su Pu handed over another snack box.
“What’s this?” Li Jichuan asked automatically.
Su Pu held the box with one hand and two bamboo skewers in the other, too occupied to type.
After a moment’s thought, he used action instead—skewering a piece of grilled cold noodles and offering it to Li Jichuan.
“Uh…” Li Jichuan hesitated.
Su Pu’s lips curved, a serene and warm smile appearing.
An invitation:
“Try it… just a bite…”
Li Jichuan looked at him and finally couldn’t resist.
“Ah—”
At the same time, a long whistle blew.
The soccer match had begun!