68

 After leaving Building C of the Fine Arts Institute, Xiang Ran checked the time; it was still early for dinner.

“Do you want to do something later?” he asked.

“Huh? Aren’t we going to eat?” Liu Shuyao replied.

“It’s not even five o’clock yet. Are you hungry?”

Liu Shuyao hadn’t been paying attention to the time. Hearing Xiang Ran say it wasn’t even five yet, she shook her head.

But after taking a couple of steps, she seemed to remember something and tugged at her boyfriend’s sleeve.

“Hey, a new spicy hot pot place opened outside of school! Let’s go eat that tonight; we can head over now, and the timing should be about right.”

“I’ve been craving spicy hot pot lately,” Xiang Ran said, nodding in agreement.

However, when he sat on the bus, he belatedly realized what Liu Shuyao meant by “the timing should be about right.”

Was it really necessary to take a bus just to eat spicy hot pot?

He thought about it but didn’t ask why.

Once they got on the bus, Liu Shuyao immediately linked her arm through his and leaned her head on his shoulder while playing with her phone. The road was bumpy, and each time the bus jolted, Liu Shuyao would hold him a little tighter.

The hot pot restaurant was located on a commercial street, not too far from school, but it would still take about thirty minutes to walk.

As soon as they got off the bus and walked a few steps toward the commercial street, they were hit by a strong aroma of spicy hot pot.

The restaurant was quite busy. Once Liu Shuyao entered, she looked around for a table.

Afterward, she didn’t even check the menu but counted on her fingers and instructed her boyfriend:

“Hmm~”

“I want two slices of fresh beef, a quail egg, two shrimp, and some lettuce and winter melon. The rest you can pick yourself~”

Xiang Ran nodded and went to the display to grab the ingredients.

He chose a mildly spicy option and added a bowl of rice. Liu Shuyao, as usual, took a small portion for herself, just enough for a taste.

“How does it taste?” she asked quickly, watching him take a couple of bites.

“Not bad, the sesame flavor is quite strong,” Xiang Ran replied.

“I told you, Shuyao’s recommendations are always top-notch!”

Liu Shuyao was thrilled to hear her boyfriend's praise.

As they were almost finished eating, Xiang Ran took a sip of cola.

“Have you thought about where to go during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday?”

“Hmm~”

With half a piece of lettuce still in her mouth, Liu Shuyao chewed loudly.

“I don’t know~”

Seeing her puzzled expression, Xiang Ran smiled.

“I’ll do some research in the next couple of days~”

“Do you want to go to the beach? Or hiking? Or maybe just walk?”

“Walking?”

Hearing this, Liu Shuyao frowned, immediately picturing a group of people dressed in heavy clothing, each carrying a large backpack, trudging along.

What kind of date was that?

No way!

“Let’s skip the walking part, okay? I think the beach sounds great~ We could camp there! Or a cabin in the woods would be nice too.”

“Sounds romantic~”

Although Xiang Ran hadn’t dated in his first nineteen years, he was good at observing and quickly picked up on the keywords “romantic” from Liu Shuyao.

But was a cabin in the woods really romantic?

Such a little cabin in the middle of the forest felt more suited for a horror movie, didn’t it?

Naturally, the target was set on the beach.

That sounded pretty good.

By the time they finished eating, the sky was already getting dark.

Xiang Ran thought they would take the bus back, but Liu Shuyao’s attention was drawn to a nearby milk tea shop.

“Won’t drinking milk tea at night make it hard to sleep?”

“And also, if you consume too much sugar at night...”

He didn’t continue because Liu Shuyao was looking at him with a pitiful expression, saying, “Please~”

She tugged at his shirt in a cute, pleading manner.

Fine!

She really knew how to manipulate him!

Soon, Xiang Ran bought the milk tea, and Liu Shuyao took it with both hands, sipping delicately.

“How does it taste?” Xiang Ran asked, watching her lips with a white trace of milk tea.

To his surprise, Liu Shuyao didn’t answer and simply handed him her drink.

Xiang Ran hesitated for a moment but still took a sip through the straw. The tea's aroma filled his mouth, and each drop glided over his tongue, carrying the rich flavor of milk.

“Indirect kiss~” Liu Shuyao said softly, her lips curving into a playful smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Xiang Ran felt a thrill, his heart racing and head spinning.

So, he decided to walk away without saying anything.

But soon, Liu Shuyao chased after him, skillfully slipping her other hand into his palm.

He had to admit, habits were a terrifying thing.

Feeling the soft touch of her hand, Xiang Ran was already quite accustomed to it.

Instead of taking the bus back, they strolled leisurely toward the school.

Streetlights cast long shadows from the trees lining the road, and a gentle breeze brushed by as night fell.

At the boys' dormitory.

As soon as Xiang Ran entered, he heard the sound of his fatty roommate excitedly chatting on the phone.

“What’s up with him?”

Their dorm had four guys speaking four different dialects, so he glanced at Qi Dong.

“Our fatty buddy splurged 3,000 yuan to finally buy a ticket home.”

“3,000? Is it a plane ticket?” Xiang Ran was surprised.

“First, he’ll fly to another city, then transfer to the high-speed train, and finally take a bus home.”

“That's crazy!”

Xiang Ran found it unbelievable.

“Is it really necessary to go back?”

“Absolutely! His family arranged a blind date for him during the National Day holiday, and he’s thrilled right now!”

“I see~”

While the guy was still on the phone, Qi Dong wasn’t idle either; he was getting tips from Wang Hao.

“Keep going...”

“I’m telling you, giving gifts to girls is a bloody lesson I learned the hard way...”

Xiang Ran had planned to do laundry, but hearing the dorm leader’s words, he turned back and set his clothes down, standing next to Qi Dong with a curious expression.

“Hey?”

“Aren’t you going to do laundry?”

Qi Dong looked at Xiang Ran, intrigued.

“Oh, there are probably a lot of people right now,” Xiang Ran said casually, continuing to listen.

“First! Never give a crystal ball!”

“Whether it’s a shining light ball or a non-lighting one, just don’t! It will end badly!”

“Secondly! Those multi-layered makeup sets also shouldn’t be given!”

“You’ll get beaten up!”

“And if she’s on a diet, don’t give snacks or anything!”

Xiang Ran listened as Wang Hao spoke, quietly deleting a couple of things from his mental list.

“What can you even give then?”

He unconsciously asked.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Perhaps Xiang Ran’s serious expression caught them off guard, as both Qi Dong and Wang Hao looked at him in confusion.

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