Xiang Di immediately put a few strips of pork cutlet into his tray.
Liang Qianqian also loved fried cutlets and teased, “Sweetie, I want some too.”
Xiang Di generously shared some with her as well. Seeing her so generous, Ye Minjia shamelessly asked, “Hey, I also queued at the wrong window—mind if I have a piece? Just one, it’s been ages since I had it.”
“No problem!”
Xiang Di shared another piece with Ye Minjia. This was the joy of sharing.
So everyone got a piece of her pork cutlet—everyone except Bo Jiangxin, who hadn’t said a word from start to finish.
Ye Minjia thought about offering him some, but figured there was no way he’d eat food from someone else’s tray. Plus, they’d already broken up—he’d definitely mind the “ex’s saliva.” Best not to be meddlesome.
Xiang Di realized she’d shared with everyone except Bo Jiangxin, which felt wrong, but then thought, she finally had the chance to eat at the same table as Bo Jiangxin after three years—better not push her luck.
She still remembered how, the last time he accidentally sipped her milk tea, he’d looked so disgusted that just recalling it made her shudder.
She hesitated and looked at Bo Jiangxin, only to meet his cold gaze. He glanced at her, then looked away, clearly uninterested in either her or her pork cutlet.
Xiang Di:
Forget it. She took a bite of her pork cutlet, the crispy crust bursting with flavor in her mouth.
“Delicious!”
Liang Qianqian said, “Today’s cutlets are perfect.”
Ye Minjia: “Seriously good.”
Zhōu Línxiāo said the cutlets here rivaled those at restaurants—only Bo Jiangxin didn’t join the pork cutlet discussion.
But he was always aloof. If he did join in, that’d be a miracle.
The food was good, so the boys finished quickly—fifteen minutes, and they were done.
Xiang Di had gotten extra food today, and to seem ladylike, she ate much slower than usual. Even Liang Qianqian finished first, leaving half a bowl of rice still for Xiang Di.
She didn’t want the boys to have to wait, so she said, “You guys can go ahead, Qianqian will wait with me.”
Ye Minjia was about to say it was fine, they could wait for her, but Bo Jiangxin grabbed his utensils and stood up.
“Take your time.”
“Hey! You—”
Ye Minjia couldn’t stop him, so he left with Bo Jiangxin.
No helping it. If you’re the Golden Canary in the cafeteria, you go where the patron goes.
“Take your time,” Ye Minjia told Zhōu Línxiāo. “Are you leaving with us?”
Zhōu Línxiāo said, “It’s okay, I’ll wait for Xiang Di.”
“All right, we’ll go back to the classroom first.”
Saying goodbye, Ye Minjia hurried after Bo Jiangxin.
Bo Jiangxin had left, and even though Zhōu Línxiāo and Liang Qianqian stayed to keep her company, Xiang Di still felt a little down.
Looks like Bo Jiangxin hated slow eaters even more than unlady-like ones. Next time, she’d eat faster.
Not one to sulk, Xiang Di simply sped up her eating.
Bo Jiangxin hadn’t left yet; he was washing his utensils at the sink when Ye Minjia caught up and couldn’t help lecturing him: “You really have no patience, huh? So what if girls eat slow? Can’t we just sit and keep them company?”
Bo Jiangxin glanced at him, then looked down and kept washing.
His voice was calm: “Isn’t there already someone with her?”
Ye Minjia was speechless. “That’s not the point. Men are supposed to be gentlemanly, right?”
Bo Jiangxin was unmoved. “She already has a guy to eat with her. How many does she need?”
“Zhōu Línxiāo is Zhōu Línxiāo. The two of us are us,” Ye Minjia sighed. “Just leaving her behind like that when she hasn’t finished…”
…No wonder he got dumped.
Ye Minjia silently added in his mind.
Utensils clean, Bo Jiangxin shut off the tap and turned to look at him, his eyes icy and sharp. “And what exactly is she to me? Why should I care?”
Deskmates? Not anymore. Fantasy crush? That spot’s been taken.
Hope Zhōu Línxiāo can do well in her fantasies. After all, he’s mixed-race—just don’t let his “duration” be even shorter than Bo Jiangxin’s.
Reason? Dignity?
Ye Minjia: “If you want to wait, you wait. I’m leaving.”
Bo Jiangxin walked away, leaving Ye Minjia rolling his eyes behind him.
Really, with that sour, jealous tone, and Liang Qianqian even called him Molisan Kogoro reincarnated, saying he was seeing things where there were none—wasn’t this classic jealous ex-boyfriend attitude? No grounds for jealousy, so he just gave attitude and tried to brainwash himself into not caring.
Nap time.
Finally, a message from Miller Planet: Xiang Sheng replied.
Xiang Sheng: [I’m at your School Gate.]
Xiang Di: [Didn’t you say you’d take six years? How come you’re here so fast?]
Xiang Sheng: [Didn’t want you to starve to death.]
Xiang Di: [I already starved, okay?]
Xiang Sheng: [Well, since you’re dead, I’ll head out. I’ll burn you a Puff at Qingming.]
Xiang Sheng: [Bye, see you at Qingming.]
Xiang Di told herself to stay calm. If it weren’t for the Puff, she’d have blocked Xiang Sheng already.
She cursed his ancestors in her heart, but suddenly realized they shared the same eighteen generations of ancestors, so she retracted it and settled for just cursing Xiang Sheng alone.
May he be impotent for life!
That curse was harsh enough for any guy. Satisfied, Xiang Di ordered Xiang Sheng to bring the Puff to her classroom. Their school wasn’t that strict—visitors could just register with the gate guard.
But Xiang Sheng refused, telling her to come to the School Gate herself.
Xiang Sheng: [Hurry up. If you don’t get here in ten minutes, I’m leaving. Wait for Qingming if you want it.]
Damn brother!!! May you go limp!!! Stay single forever!!!
Xiang Di wanted to ask Liang Qianqian to go with her, but Liang Qianqian was napping.
Not wanting to go alone, she scanned the classroom, but all the girls she was close with were also napping, and her deskmate Zhōu Línxiāo wanted to use break time to tour the School, dragging Ye Minjia along as his guide. They were both gone.
Among the boys she was somewhat familiar with, only Bo Jiangxin was left…
Bo Jiangxin wasn’t asleep yet, just looking at his phone. Plus, the Puff was really for him anyway.
But Xiang Di vetoed the idea immediately.
Forget it, better not bother him.
She got up and ended up going to the School Gate by herself.
At lunchtime, the main gate was open, and Xiang Di spotted her deadbeat brother right away.
Today, he was decked out in all black, looking like a “cool guy”—over 1.8 meters tall, but the sweet pastry bag in his hand looked wildly out of place.
Poser. Xiang Di gritted her teeth and called out before even getting close, “Why are you dressed in black—planning to rob a bank?”
Xiang Sheng turned his head, saw her coming, and smirked, “Yeah, with a foodie like you at home, I can only rob banks to feed you.”
Xiang Di rolled her eyes and snatched the pastry bag from his hand.
“Hand it over.”
Xiang Sheng: “Came all this way to bring you Puff and you can’t even say thank you? Where are your manners?”
“If you’d brought it to my classroom, maybe I’d have said thank you. Too late now—just go.”
Xiang Sheng brushed his bangs back, unashamed, “Hey, I’m a Facial Value Internet Celebrity. What if your school’s girls mob me if I get recognized?”
What a joke. He really thinks he’s a superstar.
Xiang Di said, “You wish. It’s nap time now—no one’s around, and there are plenty of handsome guys at our school. There are a bunch in my class alone; you don’t even make the top list, ok?”
Xiang Sheng laughed, “Keep bragging. No way they’re as good-looking as me.”
“Believe what you want.”
“No proof, no talk.” Xiang Sheng raised his brow. “Show me photos.”
Xiang Di: “I don’t have their pictures.”
“Knew you were making it up,” Xiang Sheng snorted.
Xiang Di gritted her teeth: “I’m not lying, I just don’t have their photos. If you saw them, you’d admit defeat.”
Her determined tone actually fired up Xiang Sheng’s competitiveness.
“All right then, if they’re better-looking, send me photos. I’ll bet you—if they’re really better than me, I’ll give you half of Dad’s five-thousand yuan.”
Hearing about cash, Xiang Di got excited. “Really?”
“If I’m lying, I’ll ruin my face tomorrow.”
“Just you wait.”
Xiang Di dashed off with the bag.
Xiang Sheng scoffed, hands in pockets, and watched her disappear before leaving himself.
He’d barely taken two steps when his phone rang. Xiang Sheng clicked his tongue, pressed answer, and held the phone away from his ear.
“Xiang Sheng!! Are you coming back or not! If you don’t, the Dorm Supervisor’s gonna kill you!”
Xiang Sheng rubbed his ear, “On my way, I told you I was bringing Puff to my sister, didn’t I?”
“Sis-con! What’s more important, your sister’s Puff or your diploma?”
Xiang Sheng was silent for a few seconds, then laughed lazily: “Neither. My good looks are most important.”
Before going back to class, Xiang Di checked the pastry bag.
Surely Xiang Sheng hadn’t snuck any on the way? She should’ve checked earlier.
Opening the bag, she saw it was stuffed full—obviously several portions.
Xiang Di felt a twinge of guilt for thinking badly of Xiang Sheng, and pulled out her phone to message him: [You bought too much.]
Xiang Sheng: [Not too much. Gotta feed you like a pig.]
Xiang Di was about to retort when Xiang Sheng added: [If you can’t finish, share with your classmates. Pigs living in human society should learn human social etiquette, you know?]
And sent a little pig emoji.
I’m gonna go download some high-rated brother-sister taboo novels to send him, gross him out.
Xiang Di took a deep breath and carried the Puff into the classroom.
Bo Jiangxin was still awake. She took another deep breath and walked to his desk.
Bo Jiangxin kept his head down, looking at his phone, but he was fully aware someone was standing in front of his desk—and he could smell that unique sweetness on her.
But he didn’t want to pay her any attention.
When that mixed-race boy wasn’t around, now she remembered him? Didn’t see her remember him at lunchtime over pork cutlets.
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