“There’s only one piece of beef tripe left.”
Xiang Ran looked at the nearly empty plate, interrupting the chubby guy, and shifted his gaze back to the hot pot.
“Ah?”
“I’ve only eaten two pieces!”
Of course, the chubby guy couldn’t resist the beef tripe and fresh cuts. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly planned to order more.
Liu Shuyao silently rebutted the chubby guy’s previous statement, having unknowingly eaten several pieces dipped in spicy oil. By the time she realized, her entire tongue was burning.
“Ugh~~”
Liu Shuyao gasped, having finished her lemonade on the right side, but it did nothing to alleviate the heat.
Her head felt dizzy, and she accidentally picked up the cup on her left, taking small sips.
Only then did Xiang Ran sense something was off. He turned to look at Liu Shuyao.
Liu Shuyao, stinging from the spice, lightly bit her tongue and hung her head, her long hair cascading to her waist. Her usually delicate neck was flushed a shade of red, gradually creeping toward her ears.
Frowning slightly, she was still holding back.
“Did you get spiced out?” Xiang Ran asked.
With her innocent big eyes looking pitifully at him, with a hint of moisture from earlier choking, she gently nodded, her fingertips gripping the cup’s edge, her upper teeth pressed against her soft tongue.
“A little spicy~”
Xiang Ran felt a bit helpless, thinking how naïve she seemed...
Liu Shuyao was already pale, but her lips were red, and her eyes shimmered, making her small, delicate face look pitiful, as if she’d been bullied...
Xiang Ran’s throat moved as the thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Something’s wrong.
Very wrong.
Xiang Ran reflected on himself for a second, and to ease his surprise, he casually picked up the cup Liu Shuyao had mistakenly taken earlier.
There was a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
It still retained a bit of warmth.
...
“Cough, cough~”
He realized something and hurriedly stood up, turning to the service counter.
The chubby guy and Wang Hao were still competing for the beef tripe in the pot, completely unaware of the little secrets between the two across from them. They stared, confused, as Xiang Ran got up.
“Where are you going?”
Xiang Ran didn’t respond.
The two then looked at Liu Shuyao’s flushed face, her eyes glistening with moisture, her eyelashes fluttering as she shyly hung her head.
What just happened?
Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel strange?
Fortunately, Xiang Ran soon returned with a bottle of milk and placed it in front of Liu Shuyao.
“Drink this first; it’ll help with the spice.”
He then found a spare bowl, filled it with water, and placed it next to the oil dish in front of Liu Shuyao.
Liu Shuyao quietly watched Xiang Ran’s actions, her long lashes lowered. Holding the milk bottle, she sipped slowly, her flushed face puffing up from the effort, her mouth moving like a little kitten.
Xiang Ran suddenly felt parched, and after a moment’s thought, he turned back and got another cup to pour water.
At that moment, the chubby guy hesitated, wanting to say something but unsure how to begin. He leaned in and whispered to Wang Hao:
“Don’t you think they’re acting weird?”
“Weird? How so?”
Wang Hao didn’t see anything wrong, but the chubby guy, with his pure-hearted radar, sensed something was off.
“It’s like they’re close, yet it feels like they’re strangers.”
“......”
The chubby guy thought he was speaking quietly, not noticing Liu Shuyao’s head was dropping lower and lower, nearly disappearing under the table.
“What do you want to say?”
Xiang Ran helplessly watched his good teammate start another daily analysis and couldn’t help but sigh.
Thinking back to what had happened at the dinner table earlier, it felt like traps were everywhere.
He glanced at the trio in his phone and silently vowed to avoid meeting them unless they were collaborating...
The chubby guy whispered something and got caught in the act, leaving him awkwardly discussing their group project.
More and more people filled the hot pot restaurant.
Liu Shuyao couldn’t join the conversation and hadn’t eaten much meat. She simply rested her chin on the milk bottle, her bright eyes scanning the room in boredom.
Then she spotted two familiar figures.
“Qi Dong? Ying Ying?”
When Liu Shuyao spoke, it drew the attention of everyone remaining.
The chubby guy and the others turned around. There was already a long line outside the restaurant, but Qi Dong and Zhao Ying stood out.
The two seemed to be arguing about something. Zhao Ying’s face looked displeased, while Qi Dong appeared to be explaining with his hands raised.
At that moment, the chubby guy noticed them and waved to greet them.
“Brother Dong!”
The chubby guy's loud voice attracted many people’s attention at the entrance.
Qi Dong and Zhao Ying had no choice but to walk in.
Zhao Ying, now too irritated to wonder why Shuyao was with the three of them, pushed Qi Dong from behind, whispering angrily, “Didn’t you say they were eating Sichuan food tonight?”
Confused, Qi Dong stammered an explanation, “I thought the dorm leader said they were eating Sichuan food!”
After saying that, he tugged at Zhao Ying’s sleeve. The two paused for a moment, and Qi Dong leaned in to whisper, “Don’t be mad. Let’s just greet them and then go eat Sichuan food?”
Zhao Ying didn’t respond. She wasn’t actually angry, just feeling a bit awkward. Whether it was the heat in the hot pot restaurant or something else, she could feel her cheeks burning.
Qi Dong seemed indifferent, happily greeting the chubby guy and the others.
But seeing Liu Shuyao’s cunning gaze made Zhao Ying realize she couldn’t avoid judgment later...
“What’s going on between you two?”
The chubby guy had only gotten halfway through his question, but everyone except Wang Hao knew what he was referring to.
Four pairs of eyes were fixed on them, waiting for an explanation.
The chubby guy’s words nearly knocked the breath out of Qi Dong. He desperately shot him a look, but of course, he brought up the wrong topic!
“Ah, uh...”
“Tonight, the debate club had something going on, so we just finished and came to eat.”
“Want to join us? We can add two more sets of chopsticks!”
Xiang Ran timely interrupted the chubby guy’s gossip.
In truth, they had almost finished eating, and since Qi Dong had no plans to stay, they waved their hands at Xiang Ran’s suggestion.
“You guys go ahead; we’ll be waiting in line for a while. We plan to eat something else.”
“Don’t—”
“Alright, we’re about to finish up here too.”
Xiang Ran interrupted the chubby guy again, and Qi Dong quickly ushered Zhao Ying away.
“Let’s eat together; hot pot is fine, and we can add a few more dishes.”
The chubby guy didn’t understand.
Now even Wang Hao noticed the tension, shaking his head.
“I think you’ve been watching too many pure love dramas, haven’t you?”
“Pffh~~”
This time, even Liu Shuyao couldn’t hold back her laughter...
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