"Great, then let's go—" Lu Huai'an was just about to agree when his phone buzzed.
He pulled out his phone; it was a message from Su Nianchu.
Sister Nianchu: "Huai'an, are you free tonight? Didn't we say earlier that I'd treat you to dinner when you had time? Also, there's something I wanted to ask your opinion about."
Lu Huai'an's fingers paused on the screen, his heartbeat missing a beat.
He looked up at Lin Jiayu, his eyes flickering.
Lin Jiayu caught the subtle change in him, her smile unchanging, though her tone carried a hint of playfulness: "What is it? Could it be the girl you like?"
Lu Huai'an pressed his lips together and nodded.
"Go ahead." Lin Jiayu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her tone light. "I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I won't be eating with you."
Lu Huai'an looked at her, his gaze complex.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. He simply replied quietly to Lin Jiayu.
"Okay."
The evening breeze scattered the daytime heat, bringing a touch of cool air.
...
Evening, at the snack street by the school gate.
When Lu Huai'an found Su Nianchu, she was standing in front of a grilled cold noodles stall, her bright eyes fixed intently on the sizzling iron griddle.
"Want to eat that?" Lu Huai'an walked over and asked.
"Mhm!" Su Nianchu nodded vigorously, looking like a gluttonous little cat.
Lu Huai'an smiled, took out his phone, and scanned the code to pay.
The two of them walked side by side down the bustling snack street, but Lu Huai'an seemed somewhat distracted.
Su Nianchu took a bite of her grilled cold noodles, tilted her head to look at him, and asked, "What's wrong? You look so down."
"It's nothing." Lu Huai'an shook his head and looked away.
"Tell me about it. Why are you still keeping secrets from me?" Seeing his expression, Su Nianchu knew something was on his mind.
Lu Huai'an hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "That afternoon I messaged you asking to grab dinner, and you said you were busy, but then I saw you eating with a guy."
Su Nianchu was stunned for a second, then burst out laughing: "You mean that day... Are you talking about the Student Union president?"
"The president?" Lu Huai'an was taken aback.
"Yeah, he was discussing the freshmen welcoming party arrangements with me that day, and since it happened to be lunchtime, we just grabbed a bite together," Su Nianchu explained.
She didn't continue, only looking at Lu Huai'an with a smile in her eyes.
Realizing he had misunderstood, Lu Huai'an stammered, "I... I thought..."
"Thought what?" Su Nianchu teased him on purpose.
"Huai'an, how come I never noticed you were so petty before?"
Su Nianchu's smile widened, and she poked Lu Huai'an's arm with her finger.
"Well, it's not too late to find out now."
"Oh come on, Sister Nianchu, stop making fun of me."
"Sister Nianchu, I've never been around this area before. Which shop has the best food?" Lu Huai'an quickly changed the subject, pointing toward a steaming shop in the distance.
Su Nianchu looked in the direction he was pointing and said with a smile, "That one? Their casserole rice noodles taste pretty good, but it gets a bit crowded. We might have to wait in line."
"No problem, let's go try it," Lu Huai'an said, heading toward the shop.
Su Nianchu followed behind him, watching his somewhat stiff back, the corners of her lips curving up slightly.
When the two reached the entrance, sure enough, the shop was packed, and a long queue had formed outside.
Lu Huai'an looked back at Su Nianchu and, seeing no sign of impatience from her, felt slightly relieved.
"You go find a place to sit, I'll wait in line," Lu Huai'an told Su Nianchu.
Su Nianchu nodded and found an empty spot by the roadside to sit down. Watching Lu Huai'an stand in line while glancing over at her from time to time, she felt an indescribable warmth in her heart.
The wait was a bit long. Su Nianchu took out her phone and casually scrolled through her Moments.
Finally, Lu Huai'an walked over carrying two bowls of steaming rice noodles.
"The line was too long, took me forever." Lu Huai'an placed one of the bowls in front of Su Nianchu and pinched his own earlobes with both hands.
"Thanks." Su Nianchu accepted the rice noodles and began to eat with her head down.
The noodles were very hot; Lu Huai'an carefully blew on them before taking a bite.
The savory broth and chewy noodles tasted just as good as she had described.
Su Nianchu also buried herself in eating, and neither spoke for a moment.
"Oh right, you said earlier that you had something you wanted to ask me. What was it?" Lu Huai'an suddenly looked up and asked.
Su Nianchu put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and said, "It's about the freshmen welcoming party."
"The freshmen welcoming party?" Lu Huai'an was somewhat surprised. "What can I help with?"
"Well, the party needs ten programs, and we're short one right now. I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in participating?" Su Nianchu looked at him with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Lu Huai'an was stunned; he hadn't expected Su Nianchu to approach him because of the welcoming party.
"I... I'm not very good at performing..." Lu Huai'an hesitated.
"It's fine, singing is totally okay too. I remember you joined the school's New Year's Day party back in high school, and you sang really well," Su Nianchu encouraged him.
Looking at Su Nianchu's earnest expression, Lu Huai'an's heart quickened again.
He knew it would be very hard for him to turn her down.
"Then... I'll give it a try," Lu Huai'an finally agreed.
"Really?" Su Nianchu's eyes lit up, her voice full of pleasant surprise. "That's wonderful! I was worried I wouldn't find anyone."
Lu Huai'an felt a bit shy under her gaze: "I'll do my best, but it's been a long time since I sang in front of so many people, so I'm a bit nervous."
"It's okay, I'll be right there!" Su Nianchu patted his shoulder with a smile. "I'll be cheering for you!"
Lu Huai'an nodded: "Mhm, I'll try."
"So... do you have any ideas about what song to sing?" Su Nianchu asked.
"I haven't thought about it yet..." Lu Huai'an pondered. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Su Nianchu rested her chin in her hand and thought seriously.
"How about... singing a love song?" Su Nianchu proposed. "Young girls nowadays all love listening to those."
Hearing the words "love song," Lu Huai'an skipped a heartbeat.
He secretly glanced at Su Nianchu and, seeing her expression was completely normal, relaxed a little.
"A love song... I suppose that works."
"Then it's settled!" Su Nianchu said with a smile. "Don't get stage fright when the time comes."
"Mhm..." Lu Huai'an replied, though he felt somewhat apprehensive inside.
"Mhm." Lu Huai'an acknowledged, but he still felt a bit unsure.
After finishing their rice noodles, the two strolled around the snack street for a while longer.
Lu Huai'an remained distracted, his mind entirely occupied by thoughts of the freshmen welcoming party.
Noticing his preoccupation, Su Nianchu smiled and said, "Don't overthink it, just relax. It's just a small party, you can do it."
Lu Huai'an managed a forced smile and nodded.
"It's getting late, let's head back," Su Nianchu said, checking the time.
"Okay." Lu Huai'an walked back toward the school with Su Nianchu.
Along the way, neither of them spoke. Lu Huai'an kept pondering what kind of love song to choose.
After seeing Su Nianchu safely back to her dorm building, Lu Huai'an walked back and spotted Lin Jiayu sitting off to the side at the base of his apartment building.
"You're back." Lin Jiayu shifted over to make a little room.
"Why are you here so late?" Lu Huai'an sat down beside her.
"Because I was waiting for you."