Watching the upperclassman take a sip of her milk tea, Lin Luoyu asked in a low voice:
"Is it very cold?"
"No, just right," the upperclassman said with a soft chuckle.
"What are you guys looking at?" Sun Haomiao asked in a low voice after dozing off for a moment and noticing that people around him kept looking to the left.
"Looking at a beauty," Zhang Qi said quietly.
Sun Haomiao followed Zhang Qi's line of sight and saw Jiang Yanqiu smiling as she looked at Lin Luoyu.
"No way, seriously? Is that the campus belle?"
"Seems like it. From seeing her profile in those photos before, it felt like she exists in a completely different dimension from ours," Zhang Qi said softly.
"But why is she just staring at Xiao Lin the whole time?"
"Look at the milk tea in her hand."
"Did Xiao Lin buy that when we went to the convenience store?"
"That's right. I feel like there's a story here."
"The campus belle isn't even dressed revealingly, but why do I find her so sexy?"
"Jiang Ran, you think so too?"
"Yeah."
"I'm recording this. I'll send it to your significant other later for you to listen to together."
"Get lost," Jiang Ran whispered.
"You cursing at me again?"
"My bad, don't send it," Jiang Ran said submissively.
Though the square formation in front was quite far away, Lin Luoyu saw them nodding toward him. When he looked back at his own class, it was the same—everyone was nodding at him. Puzzled as to why everyone was nodding at him, he turned his head and asked the upperclassman in a low voice:
"Upperclassman, do you ever get the feeling of being watched?"
"Are you talking about the person behind us?"
"Huh?" Hearing the upperclassman's words, Lin Luoyu turned to look behind them and found the counselor staring straight at them.
"Counselor? What are you doing here?"
"I'm watching this heartless woman," she said flatly.
"Huh? Watching Sister Qiu...?" Lin Luoyu asked in confusion.
"Class is over?" the upperclassman said coldly.
"Why did you sneak off without calling me?" the counselor said, raising her voice slightly.
"Aren't you a teaching assistant? You still want to play truant?"
"I want to play truant with you..." she said to the upperclassman with deep affection.
"How disgusting..." the upperclassman said with a disgusted tone.
"We drifting apart? Fine, I might as well just go die."
"Wait, don't go dying on me just yet."
Hearing the upperclassman's plea to have her stay, she put on an aloof act and said, "What? Can't bear to part with me?"
"Not at all. You just hold onto this work badge first." The upperclassman stood up, took the work badge from around Lin Luoyu's neck, walked over to the railing, and handed it back to her.
"Bye-bye."
"Bye-bye? You're just leaving like this?"
"Mm-hm, going home to sleep."
"Let's go, time to head home," the upperclassman said, walking up beside Lin Luoyu.
"...Alright." Lin Luoyu stood up and walked toward the gate together with the upperclassman, catching a few more sideways glances from people along the way.
"Upperclassman, do you know her?"
"Her? Who?"
"Our counselor."
"She's a strange person. She kept staring at me the whole time during class..."
"Maybe it's because you're too pretty, upperclassman."
The upperclassman stopped dead in her tracks.
"What's wrong, upperclassman?"
"How... pretty am I?" the upperclassman asked quietly.
"...It feels like you aren't from this world at all, upperclassman, more like a celestial maiden who descended from the heavens to the mortal realm," Lin Luoyu said, turning back to look at her.
"Thank you," the upperclassman said softly.
"Huh? What are you thanking me for, upperclassman...?"
"For a lot of things..." the upperclassman said in a low voice.
With that, the upperclassman walked toward the school gate, leaving Lin Luoyu trailing behind, wondering what she could possibly be thanking him for...
The two walked out of the school gates and hailed a cab to go home. Once inside the car, Lin Luoyu turned on some music to listen to so he wouldn't get carsick. The scenery outside the window kept receding, just like a line of lyrics from the song playing in his ears.
After a few songs, the car arrived at the neighborhood entrance. Stepping out of the vehicle, a gentle breeze swept past. He turned back to look at the upperclassman, only to find her gaze already hooked by a newly set-up barbecue stand.
Realizing she looked like she'd been caught red-handed doing something mischievous, the upperclassman hurriedly averted her gaze.
"Upperclassman, do you want some barbecue?"
"Ah? I..."
"I know you're afraid of gaining weight, upperclassman, so you can just have one." With that, Lin Luoyu walked over to the barbecue stall at the entrance.
He bought a few skewers at the stand while the upperclassman stood nearby, her eyes glued to the food...
"Upperclassman... do you rarely eat barbecue?"
"Yes. If I hadn't eaten any a few days ago, it would have been several years since my last time."
"You're so self-disciplined, upperclassman..."
"Not really. It's just that there wasn't anyone selling barbecue at the neighborhood entrance before; this stand only showed up a few days ago."
A short while later, the skewers were ready.
"You still wanted less spice, right, young man?" the boss asked.
"Yes."
The boss quickly added the seasonings, packed the skewers into a plastic bag, handed them to Lin Luoyu, and said, "Have a safe walk."
"Yup, thanks."
He pulled a meat skewer out of the bag and handed it to the upperclassman.
"Thank you." The upperclassman nibbled on the skewer as the two walked toward home.
As they passed a small pavilion, the upperclassman's pace slowed down.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Lin Luoyu asked.
"A cat's meow."
The upperclassman was sensitive to cats because she loved them dearly.
Following the faint mewling of a kitten, the upperclassman spotted it beneath the pavilion. It was very small and not very active, probably from hunger...
Seeing that it barely moved, the upperclassman detached the meat skewer from her hand and fed it to the cat.
Sure enough, after eating, it regained its energy and even climbed up onto the bench of the pavilion. The kitten meowed atop the long bench, and the upperclassman sat down on the pavilion's chair, listening to the kitten's cries and quietly mimicking them...
"Upperclassman... what are you doing...?"
"Mimicking a kitten's meow..." The upperclassman seemed to have forgotten Lin Luoyu was standing right in front of her; her eyes had been entirely fixed on the cat... until she remembered, and her face turned slightly flushed.
"Sorry, was it terrible?"
"No, it was cute..." Lin Luoyu said, seeing the upperclassman's crestfallen expression.
Seeing a different side of the upperclassman felt as though he had stumbled upon a collector's edition of her...
"Do you keep a cat at home, upperclassman?" Lin Luoyu asked, looking at her as she stroked the kitten's head in the pavilion.
"I have a white cat at home, it's very cute too," the upperclassman said gently, then pulled out a photo of the cat from her phone to show Lin Luoyu.
"So clean, so white, so fat."
"It eats very little, but somehow it just grows up so plump..." the upperclassman said softly.
"Maybe it's because the food you cook is so good, it's afraid of overeating."
"No, not at all. My mother feeds it at home."
"Does your cat eat corn, upperclassman?"
"It does, why?"
"I saw white cats eating corn in short videos, it looked hilarious..."
"Yeah, it looks pretty funny eating corn too, its expression is kind of... sleazy," the upperclassman said, letting out a soft laugh.
"Alright, let's go home," the upperclassman said, standing up and turning to Lin Luoyu.
"Okay."
As the upperclassman stood up, Lin Luoyu pulled another meat skewer from the bag and handed it to her.
"No need, I've already had some," the upperclassman said, though her expression completely gave her away...
"You didn't eat much just now, upperclassman. It's fine to have one more."
"...Alright, thank you."