29

 Liu Shuyao sighed in relief upon hearing Xiang Ran's words, lightly touching her chest to calm herself.

Phew~~~

Thank goodness! Thank goodness!

After all, her boyfriend had been expressionless and silent earlier, making her wonder if her thoughts were wrong. By the end, she was even lacking confidence in what to say.

Beside her, the chubby guy had taken note of what the campus belle had mentioned, since he really didn’t understand this artistic form of expression at all.

While adjusting some parameters, he asked, “What about this part? Is this a displacement transition?”

Seeing this, Liu Shuyou decided to sit next to him and watch the effects together.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the sky outside had turned dark. Compared to the afternoon's sultry heat, the temperature had noticeably dropped, with a cool breeze blowing in.

The chubby guy was uploading the version he had modified earlier, wanting Xiang Ran to take a look when he heard chattering at the door.

Peeking over, he saw Qi Dong had indeed arrived, followed by Zhao Ying.

It was Zhao Ying's first time at the Computer Science Institute, and she was curiously looking around.

She had just walked through the door of Room 306 when she saw the school beauty sitting side by side with the chubby guy, both focused on the display screen.

Looking over at the table beside them, she noticed a rabbit-shaped kettle, a pink snack basket, a small blanket draped over a chair, and even some specialized scissors and tools in a pencil holder. It was clear these were all things unique to their department, yet here they were.

"Sweetheart, you can't say you haven't made 306 your home!"

"Seriously, you have everything here! Did you even bring a drawing board?"

She casually teased.

"No, I didn't!"

Liu Shuyao, feeling shy, immediately blushed at Zhao Ying's words and softly protested.

"Look at this!"

"Isn't this little clip yours? I looked everywhere in the studio and couldn't find a single one."

"Wow, so you took them all here!"

Zhao Ying pointed at a stack of documents with a little clip on top.

"And this one too."

"This stapler is from the studio, right?"

"I... I just thought we might need it since we didn't have one..."

Liu Shuyao weakly explained.

"What about this?"

Zhao Ying picked up a stack of receipts from Liu Shuyao's desk and waved it in front of her.

Anyone could tell what they were.

Liu Shuyao bit her lip, her face flushing deep red before she could even speak.

"Uh, this... I helped them organize the invoices this afternoon since I had nothing to do."

Her voice grew quieter with each word.

Zhao Ying thought of what Li Meixun had said this afternoon and couldn't help but silently mimic the phrase “love-struck” without saying it out loud.

But Liu Shuyao knew what she meant and scrunched her nose in protest.

Zhao Ying ignored her.

After all, it was already well-known that Liu Shuyao was hopelessly love-struck!

Qi Dong, watching the two sisters silently bicker, waved his hand to interrupt their interaction.

"Are you done with your work? If so, let’s go eat!"

"How about the Sichuan restaurant at the entrance?"

The chubby guy, already starving, couldn’t contain his excitement and was ready to get up.

Once everyone expressed their opinions, Xiang Ran shook her head.

"I need to finish this before I go, so you all go ahead."

"Oh, okay!"

Qi Dong and the chubby guy were used to Xiang Ran’s determination, so they nodded in agreement.

Only the school beauty frowned slightly, looking worried, wanting to persuade her to come along.

"Aren't you eating something?"

"We can go to the cafeteria."

"Late dinners aren't good for your stomach."

"I'm fine," Xiang Ran replied nonchalantly.

The chubby guy could hardly wait any longer and shouted about leaving.

"Don't worry, school beauty! This person is a research dog! A workaholic! She won't eat or sleep until her work is done!"

"But..."

Before she could say anything else, Zhao Ying had already pulled her away.

The group cheerfully made their way toward the school gate, with the chubby guy continuously chattering:

"Trust me."

"You have to try the boiled fish!"

"When that hot oil sizzles, oh my god!"

"Don't forget about the boiled meat!"

"Yes, we definitely need to get that too!"

"With garlic shoots and fermented black beans—it's the best combination for the taste buds, the ultimate CP of deliciousness!"

Listening to this, the remaining two were already feeling hungry.

"Alright, alright, you've made me hungry too!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

Only the school beauty was deep in thought along the way, and before they reached their destination, she was already having second thoughts.

She tugged on Zhao Ying's sleeve.

"Um..."

"I suddenly don't feel that hungry. Why don't you all go eat without me?"

"Huh?"

The fatty was confused. Had his persuasive abilities really diminished?

How could anyone listen to his menu and then claim not to be hungry? It felt like a devastating blow to a foodie!

Qi Dong thought the school beauty might want something else.

"You can have Cantonese or Huaiyang cuisine, anything's fine."

But Liu Shuyao still shook her head, her small hands fidgeting together, looking a bit apologetic.

"That's not it."

Only Zhao Ying sensed a different emotion and quietly asked, "Are you going to look for Xiang Ran?"

Caught off guard, Liu Shuyao nodded slightly.

Sigh...

Just as she suspected.

So, she said goodbye to the three and turned toward the cafeteria, planning to pack some small dishes to take back to 306.

At that moment, Room 306 only had Xiang Ran left.

She was still sitting in the same position as when they left, looking focused.

So Liu Shuyao tiptoed inside, trying to make no noise, like a little cat.

But to her surprise, Xiang Ran noticed her as soon as she entered.

"Why are you back again?"

"Huh?"

Liu Shuyao hadn’t expected to be discovered so quickly and was a bit startled.

"How did you notice me so fast?"

Xiang Ran rubbed his nose, feeling shy to admit that he had become strangely sensitive to the pinewood scent she carried since their time at the KTV. So even without sound, he could tell who had arrived.

Fortunately, the school beauty didn’t seem to mind. She shook the takeout box in her hand.

"Come over and eat something first~"

"I’m not really..."

Before she could finish her refusal, she was interrupted.

"I specifically bought two servings. If it gets cold, it won’t taste good anymore~"

Liu Shuyao's voice had a playful tone, softening at the end.

The lab lights were dimmed halfway, and the school beauty stood in the shadow, making it hard for Xiang Ran to see her clearly.

But he felt that something seemed different.

He could have told her to put the food down and leave.

Yet, the words got stuck in his throat.

After hesitating for a moment, he looked at the few lines of code left on the screen and still got up...

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