What exactly had Jiang Xiao been through in the past three years?
Carrying this question, Song Qiuyu zoned out through the entire military training mobilization assembly.
As soon as the assembly ended, the large classroom immediately became as noisy as a bustling market.
A tide of people surged out.
How do you quickly bond in a university dorm?
A group meal, of course.
Two beers later, feelings naturally warm up, so nine out of ten freshmen were eager to go out for a meal.
However, Dorm 602 remained unmoving in their seats.
None of them liked the feeling of being squeezed and jostled in a crowd.
Especially Song Qiuyu.
Her body, now that she was a girl, really disliked being pushed around.
“How about we go out for a meal too?” Lin An adjusted his glasses and suggested.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Xie Zhuran nodded.
Song Qiuyu also nodded.
She and Jiang Xiao had already eaten, but another late-night snack wouldn’t hurt.
She tilted her head and looked at Jiang Xiao.
This time, Jiang Xiao replied quickly, giving a faint “Mm.”
Afterward, they walked out of the large classroom together.
However, just as Jiang Xiao stepped across the threshold, a girl in a JK skirt and white stockings suddenly dashed out from behind a pillar, taking two steps at once.
She held out her phone: “Excuse me, I’ve noticed you for a while. Can I have your contact information?”
How long “a while” actually was, Song Qiuyu wasn’t sure, but it likely wasn’t more than a day.
She instinctively moved aside, and her two other roommates also consciously moved, revealing knowing smiles, like aunts watching a show.
Their reasoning was simple: a roommate finding a partner meant free meals.
A pure profit.
But Jiang Xiao acted as if he didn’t see the girl, trying to walk around her.
This made Song Qiuyu pause.
It felt a bit too aloof, aloof to the point of rudeness.
The Jiang Xiao from junior high would never have acted like this.
Lin An and Xie Zhuran were on the same page.
After all, they were in the same school; they’d see each other often.
Moreover, they were all destined to be in the spotlight in the future.
Wouldn’t this…risk creating “black history” for the media to feast on?
“Excuse me, I like you! Can you consider giving me a chance?” The girl’s face flushed, clearly getting anxious.
“No,” Jiang Xiao’s gaze suddenly froze inch by inch, refusing definitively.
Song Qiuyu furrowed her brows, while her other two roommates were nearly dumbfounded.
Such a merciless rejection?
The girl was almost in tears!
Jiang Xiao didn’t even spare the girl another glance.
He dropped those three words, walked around her, then gave Song Qiuyu and the others a strange look before walking ahead.
At the entrance of the large classroom, only four people remained.
Song Qiuyu and her two roommates looked at each other, then in a shared understanding, coughed twice with a hint of embarrassment, and hurried to catch up with Jiang Xiao.
They wanted to say something about what had just happened, but they all silently agreed not to.
After returning to the dorm for a thorough cleaning and washing and hanging all their military training uniforms, they headed out of the school gates together again.
Near the South Wind Academy of Drama, there was a food street, and at this time, it was filled with freshmen walking together.
Neon lights shimmered brightly, illuminating the night.
They also stretched everyone’s shadows, reflecting their faces brightly.
“As a man, you can’t say no!” Xie Zhuran used a blue pen to check the “extra spicy” box under the hot pot base section.
“Don’t mind that idiot Xie Zhuran,” Lin An said with a smile, no longer holding back. “Qiuyu, Jiang Xiao, can you handle spicy food? If not, should we get a yin-yang pot?”
“I’m fine!” Song Qiuyu assessed her own tolerance and confidently declared she could handle it.
“What about you, Jiang Xiao?” Lin An asked patiently.
“I can,” Jiang Xiao replied, also believing he could handle spicy food.
In no time, the waiter had brought all the dishes, a dozen chilled beers, and a bottle of chilled peanut milk. The chilled peanut milk was, of course, ordered by Song Qiuyu.
“We have military training early tomorrow, so drinking might lead to a hangover and getting lectured by the instructor. How about you drink milk with me instead?” Song Qiuyu blinked. She had heard from senior students that because several nearby universities had been reported for lax military training, South Wind Academy of Drama had been particularly strict in recent years. Their batch would be even stricter.
“Uh, Qiuyu has a point, but a meal without alcohol feels a bit lacking. Let’s just drink less then,” Lin An nodded. Xie Zhuran agreed.
They ate and chatted, talking about everything from their initial reasons for coming here to stories about their hometowns.
At the table, only one person quietly focused on eating the entire time.
Jiang Xiao took a bite of meat and, noticing Song Qiuyu unzipping her jacket, turned to look.
Her pretty face was bright red from the spice, and her small hands were fanning her face so rapidly they blurred.
Her eyes were stimulated to the point of tearing up, and her lips, still coated with chili oil, were rosy and glistening, slightly parting and closing.
Sweat dripped continuously.
Jiang Xiao couldn’t help but strongly question her “I’m fine!” claim.
Across from them, Lin An and Xie Zhuran silently put down their beer glasses.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Song Qiuyu somehow looked entirely like a girl… A sharp intake of breath.
Xie Zhuran couldn’t help but swallow.
Oh no, his mind was starting to play tricks on him! Time for some milk to calm his nerves.
Jiang Xiao and Song Qiuyu were sitting very close.
After Song Qiuyu pulled her jacket zipper down past her chest, he could clearly see a tiny red mole on the fair skin slightly above her beautiful collarbone.
Besides that, a faint scent of delicate orchid wafted from her, quite distinct amidst the rich aroma of food.
“…”
It must be the smell of soap and shampoo?
“It’s empty so fast?” Song Qiuyu tilted the empty milk bottle into the glass bottle, complaining softly.
“Have mine,” Lin An smiled, standing up and offering his peanut milk to her.
“Great! Milk! I’m saved! Thank you, Lin An!” Song Qiuyu eagerly took it, twisted open the cap, and without bothering to pour, tilted the bottle to her mouth and took several gulps.
After alleviating some of the spiciness, her eyes darted around, then she turned to Jiang Xiao, cautiously leading the conversation: “Speaking of which, wasn’t that girl at the classroom door quite cute? Why did you reject her so straightforwardly?”
Jiang Xiao paused slightly.
“Oh right, that girl was pretty cute. Why didn’t you even consider it?” Xie Zhuran gave him a gossipy look, and Lin An also adjusted his glasses, looking over curiously. “Is she not your type?”
Cold sweat trickled down Jiang Xiao’s cheeks, and his gaze turned cold.
An “Is this a situation a human can even deal with?” thought began to explode deep inside him.
He glanced at Song Qiuyu, then lowered his eyes, remaining silent for a moment.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he said in a low voice, “Because I have someone I like.”
Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but he said something he wouldn’t normally say.
“Ah…”
Not only Song Qiuyu understood with a sudden realization, but Xie Zhuran and Lin An also grasped everything.
They all wanted to press for details, but Song Qiuyu was quicker to ask: “Can you tell us who that person is?”
Jiang Xiao’s silence lasted even longer.
The three of them began to back down, suddenly feeling like three big villains. If they pushed any further, Jiang Xiao might just get up and leave.
Just then, Jiang Xiao spoke again, with difficulty and coolness: “It’s someone I’ve liked since junior high.”
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