When he saw the back of Eric Wright as he sat down, but didn’t notice the umbrella in his hand, Edward Harris turned his head and saw the little dog outside the window, still hiding under the transparent umbrella.

Very inappropriately, rumors that William Thompson and his roommates had mentioned resurfaced in Edward Harris’s mind, and he also recalled the way Eric Wright had squeezed under his umbrella that day.

In the quiet air, he buried himself in practice questions, no longer glancing at Eric Wright’s profile.

Time ticked by, second by second. Around 2 a.m., the boy with glasses in the classroom left, and the empty room was left with just the two of them.

During that time, Eric Wright never looked back even once.

Edward Harris finished two sets of questions, put on his headphones, and started listening practice.

The various part-time jobs crammed into his schedule had drained all his energy; as soon as he put down his pen, his thoughts became so tired they could barely move, teetering on the edge of sleep.

He didn’t remember when he fell asleep. When he woke up again, the sky was just beginning to lighten. In his blurry vision, the whole room seemed to be soaked in pale blue seawater, utterly silent.

His gaze landed on the desk and chair where Eric Wright had sat. No one was there. Edward Harris suddenly became alert, propping up his numb elbow.

“Awake?”

He heard that gentle voice again, as if it had been a very, very long time. Looking over, he saw Eric Wright standing by the window.

Eric Wright smiled, taking an unlit cigarette from his lips and holding it between his fingers, showing him a clean and innocent smile.

Edward Harris felt a bit dazed, didn’t reply, just quietly looked at Eric Wright.

Eric Wright lowered his head, put the slender cigarette back into the black cigarette case, and looked up at him.

“You slept really deeply.” He smiled as he put away the cigarette case. “I envy your sleep quality.”

Edward Harris, just woken up, looked a bit grumpy. He stared at Eric Wright for a while, then sluggishly glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was only 4:30 a.m.

In his mind, people who smoked were often described in unflattering terms: crude, wild, decadent, vulgar.

Eric Wright was none of those things, but it suited him.

The hazy dawn light enveloped his jade-white face, his slender fingers holding a thin cigarette, as if he were pinching a sliver of moonlight.

“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up. I was planning to have a cigarette and wait for you.” Eric Wright picked up his backpack from the windowsill. “Otherwise, it doesn’t seem very safe for you to sleep here alone.”

He slung his bag over his shoulder and gave Edward Harris a beautiful smile. “Since you’re awake, I’ll be going then.”

The ending of Eric Wright’s words carried a natural intimacy, probably a trace left from being doted on while growing up.

Maybe it was because he was still groggy from sleep that Edward Harris called out to him for no reason.

“Where are you going?”

Eric Wright was clearly taken aback, paused, and turned around. “I… I’m going back.”

Edward Harris glanced at the time again, fully awake now, and put on his usual smile. “Doesn’t your dorm have a curfew?”

Eric Wright didn’t deny it. After a moment, he asked in return, “What about you?”

“The curfew isn’t lifted until six.” Edward Harris gathered the books on his desk, packing them one by one into his old, frayed bag, then stood up and looked at Eric Wright, smiling kindly. “Are you hungry?”

Eric Wright quietly stared at Edward Harris, watching him walk closer step by step, then nodded. “Yeah.”

It was too early; none of the school cafeterias would be open at 4:30. They had no choice but to go out and sit at the KFC closest to the school gate.

Edward Harris almost never ate out and wasn’t very familiar with the KFC menu, so he spent a bit more time looking it over. In the end, he ordered the cheapest breakfast set, then went to the pickup counter to wait. Standing sideways, he happened to see Eric Wright paying.

It was very different from what he’d imagined. The Eric Wright rumored to come from a wealthy background actually took out a small amount of cash from his pocket and handed it to the cashier, moving even slower than he did.

He found it odd, but then thought, Eric Wright was a strange person to begin with.

After picking up his food, Edward Harris found a seat by the window. Not long after, Eric Wright came over too, holding a cup of coffee and a red bean pie.

Edward Harris didn’t ask much, just ate his own food. He noticed that Eric Wright ate like a small animal, taking tiny bites, lips closed, making no sound, but seeming to enjoy it a lot.

He quickly finished the red bean pie, then drank more than half the cup of coffee in one go.

After watching for a while, Edward Harris couldn’t help but ask, “That’s all you’re eating?”

Eric Wright straightened the red bean pie wrapper, then nodded.

“You’re full?” Edward Harris asked again.

Eric Wright met his gaze for a few seconds, then honestly shook his head.

“Eat this.” Edward Harris pushed his own mushroom chicken congee over to Eric Wright, his tone gentle. “I haven’t touched it. I’m not very hungry.”

Eric Wright paused, didn’t take it right away, but only picked up the spoon after Edward Harris urged him again, eating the congee one spoonful at a time.

Halfway through, Edward Harris asked, “You didn’t bring money?”

Eric Wright carefully picked out the mushrooms in the bowl, avoiding them, and answered quite seriously, “I brought a little, not much.”

“Nothing on your phone?” Edward Harris asked again.

Eric Wright didn’t seem to think he was being nosy. Instead, he nodded sincerely. “Nope.”