Brick by Brick (Bxb)

Chapter 3: Friendship and Uncertainty

Ming Kai didn't notice before, but patches of discoloured skin were now obvious on Terry's back. It was especially bad around the left shoulder where he landed on after being tossed. Feelings of guilt welled up inside him as he recalled how violently he had hurled Terry throughout the entire practice.

As if reading his mind, Terry simply laughed.

"It looks bad, doesn't it? How about compensating me in some way?" he said with a smug look.

"Compensation my ass! You wouldn't have received such bruises if you were really as skilled as you claimed to be," Ming Kai didn't know if he should punch the guy, or ignore his ludicrous remarks, so he vented his frustration by rubbing the bruises where they hurt.

"Stop it! If I wasn't skilled, your throw could have dislocated my shoulder instead!" Terry squirmed as he tried to prevent Ming Kai's fingers from massaging the tender areas.

The two became so engrossed in their playful outburst they had forgotten where they were, and the fact that they were two, half-naked guys liberally feeling each other up. Their level of skinship drew peculiar stares and raised eyebrows from other people in the changing room. 

As they walked to the metro station, the two exchanged contacts. Ming Kai lived near Shilin, while Terry stayed in the university dorms because his house was located in a province far away from Taipei.

It was a good feeling to have Terry see him off at the station, leaving Ming Kai with a sudden desire to hang out with him. He actually came to like his cheeky persona, and was already looking forward to next week's training.

Terry stared at Ming Kai as he went down the station escalator, his facial muscles slowly tightening into a grin. He didn't doubt that Ming Kai would turn up next week for training. Judo practices had always made him hungry, so maybe he'll invite Ming Kai along for supper next time. Turning around, he headed in the direction of a convenience store by the side of the road and walked in. 

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The lecture theatre for Human Resources and Management module was a large, semi-conical shaped room with successive rows of lacquered seats, each extending downward to where the podium stood. It was also unbearably cold. 

Arriving on time has always been Ming Kai's usual habit. He sat at the corner seat, second row from the back, which happened to be directly under the air-con vent as he waited for Chen Yu Lin and her friends to arrive. Eventually, it got to the point where Ming Kai could no longer stand the frigid blast of cold air, forcing him to put on his dull-grey cotton sweater.

Some time later, Chen Yu Lin arrived with her group of friends. The lecturer was already preparing to start, so they quickly sat themselves down, with Chen Yu Lin right beside him.

"This lecturer is famous for giving long-winded stories. Most of the things he talks about during lectures don't even relate to what we're studying," one of their friends grumbled.

"If it wasn't a requirement for graduation, I would never have taken this module," Chen Yu Lin complained as well.

"How did you find Judo yesterday?" she asked, obviously concluding that it was useless to pay attention to the lecturer any further.

"It was more fun than I had expected," he replied, happy to find a distraction from this drudgery.

It was at the same time that the door behind them creaked open. Swift and with muffled footsteps, the entering figure quickly sat on the seat directly behind Ming Kai. Ming Kai glanced over his shoulders and was baffled to see Terry in the same lecture room.