44

 By the time the two of them arrived at the cafeteria, the peak hours had already passed. Upon glancing at the window for small bowls of side dishes, they felt there wasn’t much worth eating and decided to get some spicy hot pot.

“What are you going to eat?”

He turned to look at Liu Shuyao.

“Same as you, I guess.”

So the two of them headed to the farthest window on the east side. They could smell the broth's aroma from about two meters away.

The ingredients at the counter were separated into meat and vegetables. Tender slices of beef, crisp green lettuce leaves, and thick tofu skin were all beautifully arranged, making one's mouth water.

Xiang Ran grabbed a small basin and began picking ingredients in order: beef, pork tenderloin, quail eggs, and soon the basin was filled with various meats. Just as he was about to pay, Teacher Li’s call came through.

“How’s everything going with the art department?”

“If all goes well, it should be finished by next week.”

“Okay, have you encountered any problems?”

“No.”

“Then it’s all good. If any issues come up, let me know in time.”

“Got it.”

“Also, if the delivery to the art department goes well, it might be used on the school’s official website later. You can come to my office to discuss the specifics when the time comes.”

“Understood, I’ll remember.”

As soon as Xiang Ran finished the call, their spicy hot pot order was ready.

He glanced at Liu Shuyao’s bowl, which contained just a few pieces of lettuce, two chunks of tofu, and a few florets of broccoli—basically all vegetables, paired with a clear broth that had no oil.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Liu Shuyao, focused on sharpening two chopsticks, looked up at him when he asked.

“I’m okay. I’m on a diet recently.”

Hearing this made Xiang Ran frown. He thought of her narrow waist and delicate figure and felt it was unnecessary.

“The girl next door from the dance department, with my height of 165 cm, weighs at most 43 kg!”

“But I’m almost 45 kg now~”

Liu Shuyao’s voice trailed off with a hint of melancholy.

Xiang Ran didn’t care about other departments; he simply stated, “You’re not fat. There’s no need to diet.”

He was just stating a fact, but Liu Shuyao felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing it.

Not noticing, she instinctively picked a piece of broccoli and put it in her mouth.

As Xiang Ran looked at the steaming bowl, ready to remind her, he suddenly heard “sizzling” sounds coming from her side.

Liu Shuyao had burned her tongue and kept pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Xiang Ran handed her a tissue, intending to help her spit out the broccoli, but to his surprise, she furrowed her brows and swallowed it down.

With her mouth slightly open, she fanned her face with her hand.

The sudden burn nearly brought tears to Liu Shuyao’s eyes, making them red like a rabbit’s, giving her a pitiful look.

Seeing this, Xiang Ran quickly went to the nearby vending machine and bought a bottle of mineral water.

Liu Shuyao hurriedly took it, fumbled with the cap, and realized it was completely sealed.

Exhausted, she couldn’t open it and started stamping her feet, her small face scrunched up, looking at Xiang Ran with a hint of blame in her eyes.

Xiang Ran finally understood, took the bottle, opened it, and handed it back to her.

After all, in his 19 years of life, he had hardly interacted with girls.

Liu Shuyao drank nearly half a bottle of water before feeling better.

After tightening the cap and setting it on the table, she looked up at Xiang Ran. Her eyes still glistened with unshed tears, and her naturally pink lips, now glistening from the water, appeared even more delicate and rosy, resembling a fragile porcelain doll.

“Feeling better now?” Xiang Ran asked.

“Yeah.”

Liu Shuyao nodded, and this time she was much more careful while eating.

One hand held the bowl as she chewed slowly on the lettuce.

Xiang Ran waited until Liu Shuyao had nearly finished eating before speaking up.

“How’s the art project coming along?”

“Um~”

Liu Shuyao bit into a piece of tofu, mumbling through her mouthful.

“Almost done. The next step is digitization.”

“Are we in charge of the digitization?”

“No, Fatty and I will work on it with Han Lele. We might need to make some adjustments later, like tweaking the colors, contrast, and brightness, so I’m worried about flaws or shadows.”

“Oh, do you need my help?”

“No, it’s pretty quick. Once it’s done, we’ll test it out, and if everything is fine, we can go live.”

After finishing their meal, Liu Shuyao was hoping to take a stroll, but in the end, she was pulled out by Zhao Ying to go shopping. They parted ways.

On the other side, Xiang Ran returned to the dorm, where he found Qi Dong surprisingly there.

“What about those two?”

“The dorm head is still with the student council, and Fatty is next door playing video games.”

“Got it.”

Xiang Ran took out his computer, intending to run the code he had written today, when he noticed Qi Dong pulling over a chair and sitting down next to him, looking miserable.

“What’s up?”

“I want to pursue Zhao Ying.”

“Oh.”

Qi Dong felt he had mustered great courage, but all he got in response was just an “oh”?

“I’m serious!”

“I know. I thought you two were already together.”

“Not yet, but there’s a problem.”

“Is it Zhao Ying? She seems to like a guy from the basketball club. I saw her sketching a drawing of him before.”

At this point, Xiang Ran became a bit curious and turned to look at Qi Dong.

“?”

“She didn’t draw his face, but it seems she really likes him.”

Qi Dong said this with a tinge of bitterness. Just thinking about that sketch made him uneasy. Plus, after observing during their last basketball game, he hadn’t seen her show interest in any boy, which only added to his frustration.

“Help me analyze this!”

“Why can’t that guy be you?”

Xiang Ran replied leisurely.

“What?”

“No way! How could I not recognize myself?”

Qi Dong leaned back against the desk in shock, feeling that Xiang Ran’s comment was a bit absurd.

“An outsider sees things clearly. I think Zhao Ying should have feelings for you.”

“Why do you think that?”

“When people like someone, their bodies might show physiological changes. For example, heart rates might increase, facial expressions could become more pleasant, and pupils may dilate. These reactions could be due to the activation of the autonomic nervous system.”

“Plus, dopamine is a neurotransmitter related to reward and pleasure. So, you might start changing your habits to be with that person: like gradually getting closer, being willing to spend time with them, and caring about their every move…”

Xiang Ran was merely stating a scientific fact.

Until he picked up his phone and saw the first message was the one he had sent to Liu Shuyao.

“Did you reply?”

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