The group quickly arrived at the cafeteria.
The others had left on prior business, leaving a total of four people: He Yi and Fu Yu, alongside Qin Jiujiu and a male classmate named Cheng Boyan. He Yi had reserved a private dining room.
The private rooms in the Qingshui No. 1 High School cafeteria specialized in stir-fried dishes, and the cooking standard was even slightly higher than restaurants outside the school.
Fu Yu pushed the menu on the table over to Qin Jiujiu and said with a smile, "Fairy, ladies first. Order your favorites first. Our Brother Yi here is a key protected species with quite a few dietary restrictions—he can't eat this or drink that. You order first, and then the rest of us will."
Hearing this, Qin Jiujiu looked at He Yi. The teenager's medium-length hair still carried the damp mist from a recent shower, and his eyes were half-lifted, looking right back at her. The moment their eyes met, both of them recalled that bottle of cola she had treated him to on her first day of transferring schools.
Qin Jiujiu ordered a plate of sweet and sour pork, and the other three ordered another five or six dishes and a round of drinks.
He Yi took out his phone and scanned the QR code at the corner of the table to pay.
Sensing his intention, Qin Jiujiu hurriedly reached out to stop him.
When she blocked him, Qin Jiujiu accidentally brushed against the back of He Yi's hand, and both of them involuntarily gave a slight shudder.
He Yi only felt the back of his hand brushed by something soft. Suppressing the itchiness deep in his heart, he looked at her in surprise.
"Classmate He Yi, could I trouble you for a favor? I'll use my meal card to pay, and you can just give me the cash."
As soon as these words were spoken, the three people at the table fell silent.
Students in puberty were at an age where they regarded money and pride as more important than the heavens. Especially when they were strapped for cash and realized by others, they would wish they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into in self-pity and lick their imagined wounds.At this moment, under the fixed gaze of the three of them, Qin Jiujiu showed not the slightest trace of embarrassment. Her eyes were bright and clear as she looked at He Yi, as simple and natural as if they were discussing what to have for dinner every day.
"Is that okay?" Seeing that he remained silent, Qin Jiujiu asked again.
He Yi lowered his gaze, put away his phone, and gave an affirmative hum.
Qin Jiujiu stood up and went to the cash register outside to swipe her meal card.
"Hey! Celestial beauty, are you really that broke?" Seeing that she didn't care in the least and didn't seem to be putting on an act, Fu Yu chose to shoot straight and ask directly.
"I am."
Though the question came from Fu Yu, she directed her answer straight at He Yi.
Here it comes again!
Mulling over the way she had looked at him just moments ago, He Yi felt as though a little hook had snagged his heart once more, giving it an intense, itching scratch. He couldn't help clenching his teeth. *Damn it, is she fishing for me?*
Suppressing his irritation, he asked, "How much is it? I'll transfer it to you."
"150 yuan. But do you have cash? I don't have WeChat."
Wonderful. A single sentence left everyone at the table utterly speechless once again.
The three of them stared at her as if she were some kind of extraterrestrial creature.
Fu Yu stuttered, "N-No way. You—you really don't have WeChat?" It was obvious he was remembering what Qin Jiujiu had told Xu Duodu a few days earlier about not having WeChat.
Amused by their expressions, Qin Jiujiu explained, "My old phone was confiscated by my family. I just got a new SIM card here."
The three of them finally withdrew their monster-like stares.
"If you don't have cash, apply for one," He Yi replied.
*Fine, I suppose I have to integrate into modern society.* Qin Jiujiu acknowledged and opened her phone to download the WeChat app.
By the time she finished all the setup, the dishes had all been served.
During this, Fu Yu kicked He Yi under the table and shot him a look, implying that He Yi should pour her some water, rinse her cup, and serve her some food.
He Yi responded with an expression of complete indifference and didn't move an inch."Fine, stay stubborn. Keep on being single." Fu Yu touched his nose. Coming from a well-to-do family, he had grown up observing people at dinner tables and learned from a very young age how to read expressions and take care of others.
Fu Yu quietly looked after the only girl present, even getting up to replace her cup when he noticed a small chip on its rim.
Qin Jiujiu smiled at Fu Yu. She appreciated this kind of gentlemanly behavior; it felt comfortable and attentive, and she mentally gave Fu Yu extra points.
He Yi's mouth straightened into a dead, unmoving line.
Fu Yu had hung around with He Yi since elementary school, and they had attended the same middle school and high school as well. Seeing this familiar stubborn expression on He Yi, Fu Yu chuckled and winked at him teasingly, thinking: *Little buddy, do I not know you? You're burning up inside, aren't you!*
He Yi glared at him.
Under Fu Yu's enthusiastic arrangement, Qin Jiujiu added all three of them on WeChat and accepted He Yi's transfer.
Only then did they begin eating, and the conversation naturally shifted to the basketball game they had just watched.
Fu Yu chattered excitedly, moving from the match to professional players, keeping He Yi at the center of the topic while also filling Qin Jiujiu in on He Yi's many dietary restrictions.
When the conversation turned to Beijing North Sports University, Fu Yu turned to Qin Jiujiu and asked, "Goddess, didn't you transfer over from Jingbei Affiliated High School? That's really close to Beijing North Sports University, right?"
Fu Yu always changed nicknames for her depending on his mood, and Qin Jiujiu didn't mind. She nodded.
Curious, Fu Yu asked again, "By the way, why did you transfer at this exact juncture? The resources at Jingbei Affiliated High School are so good, I heard a lot of students get recommended for admission."
Qin Jiujiu had no desire to dwell on the absurd things the original owner had done, nor was she displeased by someone prying into her privacy. She simply answered lightly, "Some unpleasant things happened, and my family arranged the transfer."
Being as sharp as they come, Fu Yu instantly regretted asking something he shouldn't have. But seeing that she carried no negative emotions—as if it were just a trivial, insignificant matter—his sense of guilt lessened considerably, and he quickly laughed it off to change the subject.
The meal ended with toasts to the future basketball star.
Except for Qin Jiujiu, the other three were day students and didn't have to attend evening self-study. Qin Jiujiu said goodbye to them at the entrance of the campus bookstore and turned to slip inside.
On the way home, when only He Yi and Fu Yu were left, Fu Yu couldn't hold it in any longer. "Brother Yi, you don't have much academic pressure anyway, don't you have any thoughts about her? Such a major beauty sitting right next to you every day."
He Yi glanced at him. "You want her, you go for it."
"Damn, you're just hard-headed. If I could marry such a pretty wife, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams—it'd be like smoke rising from my ancestors' graves."
He Yi was amused by him. Imagining such a scenario, he confessed honestly, "I'd wake up laughing too."
"Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh! I knew my eight-times-zoom sharp eyes couldn't possibly be wrong." Getting his friend's confession made Fu Yu even more thrilled than if he had achieved success himself. "Give it to your buddy straight then—when are you going to start chasing her?"
"She's too well-behaved. After the gaokao, I guess."
"Tsk tsk, well-behaved is great, well-behaved is wonderful, well-behaved is just—!" Fu Yu started acting improper.
The consequence of being improper was getting a thorough, heavy beating.
Fu Yu winced in pain, while the little abacus in his mind spun furiously enough to strike sparks.