"Oh, it was alright. I wanted to sleep more but then I realized that you must not have eaten. So I bought breakfast for you."
"Huh? What?!" Ming turned around and exclaimed with a surprised look on his face. Luckily it was still early in the morning and it was the holiday period now. If not, there would still be a bunch of crazy people like Ming that would study overnight in the library.
"You look as if you had seen a ghost." Ming Yue Guang laughed.
"Why did you come to school for?"
"I told you before," Raising a plastic bag that contained a plastic container, Yue Guang replied, "I bought you breakfast."
"You didn't have to do that for me."
"I didn't have to, but I wanted to. Come on. Eat up." With a carefree attitude, Ming Yue Guang sat down in his seat from yesterday and opened up the breakfast that he had bought for Ming and himself. Inside the plastic container was a simple Asian noodle dish that contained minced meat, some fishballs, and fish cakes. "I bought us fishball noodles from my favorite breakfast stall."
"But why are we eating here? Isn't it not allowed?"
"Well looking around, I do not see anyone. Even the librarian is taking a sweet nap by the counter. Let's just eat secretly alright?" Ming Yue Guang stuck his tongue out playfully.
As the older student dug into his meal, wolfing down the noodles deliciously, Ming continued to sit there with his chopsticks. In his heart, a sprout of doubt grew. The young man knew that he needed an answer now. If not, it may come and hurt him in the future.
"Hey Yue Guang," He asked in a lowered tone.
"Yeah," There were noodles in Yue Guang's mouth. He looked up while chewing.
"What is the motive behind you doing all of this for me?"
"Motive?"
"Yeah…" Ming bit his lower lip. Unwilling, he continued to speak, "Why are you being so nice and friendly to me? Are you doing this to mock me?"
Ming Yue Guang knew that something wasn't right. Swallowing his food quickly, he clarified, "No. I am not doing this to mock you, Ming. In fact, why would you ever think that?"
"I… I have been hurt before once in the past and I do not want that to happen again."
"Would you share it with me?" With a serious look, Ming Yue Guang asked sincerely.
Ming continued to bite his lower lip. Not knowing what to do, the pair of them sat there in silence. The noodles were getting cold over time.
"It is okay if you do not want to tell me. However," Yue Guang stood up and reached across to pat Ming's shoulder, "I am serious when I say that I am not playing with your feelings. I enjoy your company and if I have been intruding too much into your private space, I will respect your boundaries."
Ming tilted his head up and looked into Ming Yue Guang's hazel colored eyes. There was an aura of genuineness exuding Yue Guang's words. It made Ming blush in embarrassment as he nodded in assurance.
"Ah, the noodles have gotten cold. Quick eat, Ming. When it is cold and stiff, the food isn't very nice." Ming Yue Guang knew that his words had gotten through to the boy. Whatever the reason for Ming to doubt him, he knew that it was gone now.
"Okay," Picking up his chopsticks again, Ming ate a mouth. His eyes widen in surprise. The flavor was spectacular and the fishball was soft but bouncy. "This is delicious. Thank you for bringing me breakfast."
"I'm glad you like it. If you enjoy it, I can tell you where it is. It is just a bus stop away from the campus."
"How much is it?" Ming asked casually. In his heart, he was actually trying to get to know the price so that he could pay Yue Guang back for breakfast.
Ming Yue Guang bit on the bait and did not know Ming's motive, "It was 3 dollars for this big bowl of noodles."
"Oh, it's not that bad."
"Yeah hehe. I'm pretty good at finding food spots right?" Yue Guang grinned. The two conversed while having their breakfast. Just as Yue Guang went to wash his hand, Ming slid a 10 dollar note into his jacket pocket. Acting like nothing had happened, he went back to his seat with a smile.
When he got back, Yue Guang did not notice anything different. Instead, he asked Ming, "So, are you feeling tired?"
"After eating breakfast, my fatigue seemed to have gone away."
"Do you wanna go somewhere with me then?" Yue Guang proposed.
"Where to?"
"To the Sports Park. I was planning to go there after breakfast and thought that I should ask if you would like to go with me."
"Are you going to be playing some sports there later?"
"No and yes. I'm a little soccer league coach and my team of children will be playing their last friendly match before winter break."
"A children's soccer coach?"
"Haha yeah. I played soccer back in elementary school and all the way up to University. My old head coach from high school has bad health and asked me to help him coach the children on the weekends. I guess I couldn't say no as I have him to thank for getting me a scholarship into University Z."
"That's interesting. I didn't know you play soccer?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't say that I am very good at soccer, but I was more of a semi-professional."
"Semi-professional?" Ming was confused.
"Yeah. I was in the Under-18 National Soccer Team for Country Z."
"The National team? That is very impressive."
"Thanks," Ming Yue Guang smiled, "I have to thank the Head Coach for giving me that opportunity during high school. So, would you like to watch the children's last game with me?"