Ch60-Meng Ci, This Was Ruan Ruan's Work
Meng Ci had never raised rabbits before and didn't know what a newborn rabbit should eat. He only knew rabbits shouldn't drink water.
So he stuffed the mother rabbit with carrots, apples, and greens.
Fearing the male rabbit might harm the mother, Meng Ci found another cage and moved him inside.
There were six baby rabbits in total. Fearing they might carry his scent and be killed by the mother rabbit, Meng Ci dared not touch them, only watching from afar.
These little rabbits actually resembled newborn baby mice.
Meng Ci took out his phone and snapped several photos, intending to document the moment.
After taking the photos, he had no one to share them with.
The first person who flashed through Meng Ci's mind was Shen Que. But that guy was sulking about something, so Meng Ci pushed the thought aside.
"Squeak..."
The alarm outside went off.
Though few people were in the building, Meng Ci still grabbed a long knife.
Opening the security door, he found Yun Jingcen holding a basin.
Opening the iron gate, Meng Ci stepped outside.
"Teacher Yun."
As a senior high school student himself, Meng Ci addressed them all as teachers.
Yun Jingcen handed him the basin. "These are dumplings Ruan Ruan specially made for us today. He asked me to bring some up for you to eat."
"The filling is just a mix of greens, so don't be picky."
Then, as if showing off to Meng Ci,
"We all told Ruan Ruan not to cook, but he insisted."
"Really, this kid is so
considerate."
"He kept insisting we shouldn't bother finding food outside-it's too much trouble."
"He has nothing to do at home, so he can only help us with little things like this."
"But this isn't little-none of us know how to cook."
"Ruan Ruan has truly been a huge help!"
Meng Ci snatched the bowl from Yun Jingcen's hands, unwilling to listen any longer.
"Thank you, Teacher Yun."
"And please convey my gratitude to Ruan Qing for his kindness. I'll head inside now. Take your time."
"I'll bring this basin down for you later."
Seriously, was this teacher here to deliver food or to brag about Ruan Qing?
Besides, it's just cooking. He can do that too.
What's there to brag about?
"Ruan Ruan said you can only
give one dumpling to Shen Que. Not a single extra."
"If Ruan Ruan finds out you gave him more, he'll be upset."
Meng Ci agreed, though he was puzzled. Had Shen Que ever crossed Ruan Qing?
Yun Jingcen sighed again. "Meng Ci, Ruan Ruan has such a gentle nature. There aren't many people he dislikes."
"Do you know what Shen Que did to upset Ruan Ruan?"
"We'll need to help each other out in the future. If there's any trouble, it's best to resolve it quickly."
No wonder Yun Jingcen used to call him "Classmate Shen" but now addressed him directly by name-it was all for Ruan Qing's sake.
But Meng Ci still didn't know what had happened between them. Could it be that Shen Que and Meng Ci had had some unpleasantness before?
He then briefly recounted the incident involving the three of them that morning.
"Teacher Yun, could it be that Shen Que always keeps a cold face and doesn't like to smile?"
"So that's why Ruan Qing got scared?" Meng Ci speculated.
After all, Ruan Qing looked just like a rabbit in a room. Those rabbits would be startled when they first saw Shen Que, but they'd get used to it after seeing him more often.
Yun Jingcen nodded upon hearing this. "That's very possible."
"Meng Ci, I think you look quite handsome when you smile."
"Maybe you could teach Mr. Shen how to smile in the future."
"After all, a smile can make you look ten years younger and help build connections."
Meng Ci nodded, inwardly groaning.
His lack of smiling was simply his personality.
How could one even teach that?
Besides, getting Ruan Qing to practice his courage more, or having him observe Shen Que's expressions, would be far more practical than trying to teach him how to smile.
Closing the security door tightly, Meng Ci knocked on Shen Que's door.
"What's up?" Having heard the alarm earlier, Shen Que had already seen Yun Jingcen through the peephole and hadn't gone out.
Meng Ci handed the dumplings to Shen Que. "Teacher Yun brought these for us. Want some?"
Shen Que declined. "No, you eat them."
Meng Ci wouldn't hear of it. "No way. Ruan Qing said you have to eat one."
If Shen Que didn't eat one, and Ruan Qing found out, he'd dislike Shen Que even more.
"Is Ruan Qing's word law?"
Shen Que folded his arms and snorted lightly. "Do you have to obey everything Ruan Qing says?"
"Could it be... you've developed feelings for him?"
"Exactly!" Meng Ci nodded. "Ruan Qing is so cute and adorable, just like a little brother."
"Isn't it natural to like someone that cute?"
Honestly, Ruan Qing could be pretty rude sometimes, but Meng Ci hadn't noticed anything wrong with him yet.
Shen Que raised an eyebrow. "Just like a little brother?"
"Exactly!" Meng Ci nodded. If not a little brother, then what? He couldn't be an older brother, could he?
Only then did Shen Que step aside. "Come in."
Meng Ci didn't hesitate, carrying the dumplings into the room. Seeing Shen Que bring over two bowls, Meng Ci promptly picked one for him.
Shen Que stared at the solitary dumpling in his bowl, incredulous. "You're really only giving me one?"
Meng Ci nodded. "Yep."
"Ruan Qing said to give you one, so I can only give you one."
"What if I gave you more? If Ruan Qing found out someday, he'd get angry."
Shen Que seemed annoyed by this, but it made him laugh out loud.
"You really do listen to him. Whatever he says, you do."
Meng Ci saw nothing wrong with his actions. After all, Ruan Qing had made the dumplings, so he had the right to decide how they were distributed.
Ruan Qing could choose who got to eat them and how many each person received.
"If you want more, we can make some ourselves!"
Meng Ci took a bite of the dumpling. Though it was vegetarian, it tasted surprisingly good.
Entertainment options were scarce in the apocalypse. Making dumplings to store would be handy for later meals.
"Sounds good."
Shen Que agreed, finished the dumpling in his bowl, then stood to fetch a packet of instant noodles, which he prepared and ate.
As Meng Ci ate, he suddenly found Shen Que's earlier question odd.
What did he mean by asking if he liked Ruan Qing?
Could it be... Shen Que thought he liked Ruan Qing in that way?
Meng Ci rolled his eyes. He really wanted to pry open his skull and see what was inside that head.
Even if Ruan Qing liked guys, he'd be the bottom.
And he, Meng Ci, only wanted to be the bottom too.
As the saying goes, two bottoms can't be together.
Shen Que was inexplicably met with a roll of the eyes, puzzled. Had eating instant noodles actually annoyed Meng Ci?
"What's wrong?"
Meng Ci shook his head. He couldn't very well admit he was mentally cursing him.