Reaching the corner of the stairs, Liu Shuyao glanced at the time and adjusted her bag strap before quickly stepping in front of the two.
The setting sun cast an orange glow on her, and a gentle breeze blew in from the stairway window, lifting a few strands of her hair. With her brows slightly furrowed in nervousness, she softly asked, “Are you going to eat? Want to join us?”
The chubby guy was still basking in the joy of being invited to dinner by Liu Shuyao when a cold voice cut in.
“No, we’re just—”
Xiang Ran was scrolling on his phone, his expression blank, and before he could finish, the chubby guy covered his mouth and pulled him back, his face in shock.
Bro, are you crazy?
You should listen to what you’re saying!
The chubby guy gave Xiang Ran a questioning look and then turned back to Liu Shuyao with a bright smile.
“Tonight, our dorm leader is treating us to hot pot. Why don’t you come along?”
Liu Shuyao paused, surprised by his words.
In the next moment, her previously pouting lips lifted into a smile, her cheeks flushing with excitement. As if worried she might miss out, she nodded eagerly.
“Can I go?”
“Of course! We’d love to have you!”
The chubby guy’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he patted Xiang Ran on the shoulder, signaling him to show some support.
Yet Xiang Ran still didn’t react much but also didn’t say anything outright rejecting.
The three of them headed toward the hot pot restaurant outside the school gates.
“Xiang Ran!”
“Fatty! Over here!”
Wang Hao spotted them immediately and waved for them to come over.
“Is Brother Dong not coming?”
Xiang Ran noticed only the dorm leader sitting at the table.
“Oh, he said he has plans tonight and told us to go ahead.”
After Wang Hao replied, he finally noticed Liu Shuyao standing behind the chubby guy.
“You? You’re the...”
“Liu Shuyao, a classmate!”
The chubby guy, noticing that the dorm leader finally recognized Liu Shuyao, immediately spoke up proudly.
“We just had a meeting this afternoon, so I brought her along. You guys haven’t met before, right? Come, let’s introduce each other.”
The chubby guy felt like they had known each other for ages, even though they had only spoken a few words.
Liu Shuyao had been worried about whether she would be awkward, but the chubby guy’s casualness helped ease her nerves a bit. She nodded to Wang Hao.
“Hello, I’m Liu Shuyao.”
“I’m Wang Hao.”
She smiled warmly and confidently.
Everyone was not too hungry when they arrived, but as soon as they stepped inside and caught the scent of the hot pot broth, they couldn’t hold back any longer.
After some simple greetings, the chubby guy could no longer contain his excitement. He sat down and started ordering from the tablet, well aware of everyone’s tastes since they often gathered.
“Freshly sliced meat! Freshly sliced meat!”
“Let’s get a serving of handmade beef balls.”
“Two servings of tripe.”
“......”
“We need some greens too; let’s aim for a balanced meal—it’ll look better.”
Seeing that the chubby guy had already placed his order, Wang Hao immediately scooted over to sit next to him.
It was Liu Shuyao’s first time eating with three guys, and she felt slightly awkward, unsure how to act. She instinctively shot a pleading glance at Xiang Ran.
Although Xiang Ran wanted to maintain some distance between them, he couldn’t just leave Liu Shuyao hanging.
He pointed to an empty space on the other side.
“Let’s sit over there.”
Liu Shuyao nodded and obediently sat down.
Since the restaurant used a traditional Sichuan-style hot pot setup, they all sat on long benches, inadvertently making them sit closer together.
Even with the strong scent of beef fat in the hot pot restaurant, there was something strangely persistent about the pine scent lingering around Xiang Ran...
Feeling a bit awkward, he opened his phone, pretending to look for something to do, but his eyes unexpectedly caught a glimpse of pure, bright colors.
Only then did Xiang Ran raise his head to look at the people beside him. After thinking for a moment, he called the waiter over.
“Hello, could we have an apron, please? Thank you.”
The waiter quickly brought over several aprons.
“Do the other three need one?”
“No, just give it to her.”
Xiang Ran’s voice was indifferent, as if he were stating a common fact.
Upon hearing her boyfriend’s words, Liu Shuyao couldn’t hide her surprise, leaning slightly towards him, only to have Xiang Ran shyly move away.
While the two played their little game of chase and retreat, the hot pot was already placed on the table, and the dishes started to arrive one after another.
The pot was filled with a thick layer of chili oil, and the rich aroma wafted around, making one’s appetite soar.
“Have you finished ordering?”
Only then did Xiang Ran notice the chubby guy had already put away the tablet.
“Yeah, just the usual three dishes, right?”
The chubby guy busily picked up a piece of crispy meat while trying to understand what was meant by that.
“Do you want to order more?”
“Can you handle spicy food?”
Xiang Ran had been too focused on avoiding questions to ask Liu Shuyao if she could eat spicy food.
Seeing the pot filled with red oil, Liu Shuyao was already struggling to hold her chopsticks, but since it was her first meal with everyone, she nodded.
“I can eat a little.”
Since she had expressed her willingness, Xiang Ran didn’t say much more and began cooking what he wanted to eat.
After a few pieces of freshly sliced beef hit the table, the atmosphere brightened.
Before Wang Hao could say much, the chubby guy's phone buzzed with a message. It was a custom ringtone he set for updates on his favorite webnovels. As soon as it rang, it meant his lifeline was about to be renewed.
“Is there a new update?”
The other two in the dorm were used to this, and even Wang Hao asked, “Has the author not dropped the story?”
“No, no, the author said they were hospitalized recently, so there were delays. Plus, this romance manga has been so popular; it’s been topping the charts since it launched. There’s no way they’d just stop updating.”
While scrolling through his phone, the chubby guy answered, his eyes glued to the plot, even forgetting to enjoy the freshly sliced beef.
Liu Shuyao watched the chubby guy’s seriousness and became curious.
“What manga is he reading?”
Xiang Ran shook his head; although he had glanced at it before, he didn’t remember the name.
“‘Young Lovers’ Daily Life’!!!”
As soon as the chubby guy heard them discussing the manga, he eagerly promoted it.
“Highly recommended! It’s really good!”
“......”
Liu Shuyao almost dropped her chopsticks upon hearing the title, nervously biting her lip, her heart racing uncontrollably...
I’m so scared~
I’m so scared~
I thought I was going to be exposed!
If that’s the case, it would be too embarrassing...
The chubby guy, unaware of Liu Shuyao’s unease, continued his enthusiastic introduction.
“And coincidentally, the male and female leads are from the Computer Science and Art departments.”
“Although it’s a fantasy romance, it’s definitely worth it!”
What?
Are you saying this is sci-fi fantasy?
What I’m drawing is clearly realistic daily life, okay???
Can no one see the big words “DAILY LIFE” in the title???
......???
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