Zhang Yanyan was speechless. Did this guy have no idea how to read the room? Had he managed to win over the original host by pursuing her like this in his previous life?
Song Ze put his phone away, the smile still lingering on his face. Seeing this, he didn’t press the matter any further and simply nodded. “All right, then. I won’t disturb you two while you’re resting.” With that, he turned and walked back to his class’s formation.
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Yue curled her lips. “He’s not bad-looking, but he’s certainly good at finding excuses to strike up a conversation. But Yanyan, you really aren’t interested in him?”
“No. We only met for the first time today, so he’s still a stranger. It’s too early to say anything like that.” Zhang Yanyan wiped away her sweat, crumpled the tissue into a ball, and tossed it into the nearby trash can, not taking the little incident to heart.
The moment Song Ze returned to the formation, Wang Hao and Li Yang came over, lowering their voices as they teased him. “Not bad, Song Ze. You’re pretty composed. You got rejected and still managed to walk back with a smile. Anyone else would’ve been too embarrassed to move.”
“What else was I supposed to do? Forcing myself on her would only annoy her.” Song Ze stuffed his arm sleeves into his bag and raised an eyebrow. “She doesn’t know me well yet. I can take it slow. I refuse to believe she won’t fall for me.”
“True. With your looks, plenty of girls at school sneak glances at you. Are you really worried you can’t win over one girl from the finance department?”
Li Yang patted him on the shoulder. “Look for another opportunity next time. Don’t just give her things. When you’re pursuing a girl in college, helping her at just the right moment works better than anything else.”
“That’s a fair point.” Song Ze nodded, his gaze sweeping once more toward the finance department. He already had a new plan in mind.
From that day on, Song Ze indeed changed his approach. He stopped forcing himself into conversations with her, but he still made sure to show up around her from time to time.
At noon, the second cafeteria was bustling. The freshmen who had just finished their morning military training filled every food stall. The crisp clatter of trays, the aunties calling out and taking orders, and the students’ laughter and chatter blended together, mingling with the sweet-and-sour aroma of braised pork ribs and the fresh fragrance of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The whole place was filled with the warmth of everyday life.
Zhang Yanyan and Lin Yue had just finished getting their meals at the finance department’s designated stall. Their trays held sweet-and-sour pork ribs, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of seaweed and egg-drop soup.
Of course, the cafeteria food couldn’t compare with Auntie Chen’s cooking. But she wasn’t the original host, and the food here was actually a little better than what she could make herself. Zhang Yanyan found it perfectly acceptable. Since she couldn’t be bothered to make a fuss, she decided to wait until evening to go home.
“Let’s find a seat by the window. It’ll be cooler with the ventilation.” Lin Yue scanned the cafeteria.
Zhang Yanyan nodded and turned around with her tray. She had just taken a step when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.
“Coming through, coming through! The soup’s about to spill!”
A boy’s voice was full of panic. With so many people around, he seemed to have been tripped by someone. The soup in his hand was about to splash all over Zhang Yanyan, so he hurriedly called out a warning.
Zhang Yanyan turned at the sound of his voice and saw a steaming bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup tipping toward her.
Her reflexes were astonishingly quick. She instinctively stepped to the side to dodge it. The bowl brushed against the hem of her clothes and wobbled, spilling half the hot soup onto the floor with a sharp clatter.
Song Ze had been keeping an eye on her the entire time. The moment he saw what was happening, he reached out without thinking, intending to grab Zhang Yanyan by the arm and pull her toward him.
But just as his hand reached halfway out, Zhang Yanyan had already nimbly dodged aside. Song Ze grasped at empty air. He froze for a moment, then awkwardly withdrew his hand and unconsciously rubbed his fingers together to conceal his embarrassment.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Are you all right?” The boy carrying the soup was filled with remorse. He quickly steadied the bowl and repeatedly bowed his head to Zhang Yanyan. “I don’t know who tripped me just now. I really wasn’t holding it securely. I almost scalded you!”
“It’s fine. Just be more careful next time.” Zhang Yanyan shook her head. The soup hadn’t splashed onto her, after all. She picked up her tray and was about to walk over to Lin Yue.
Lin Yue came over as well. She nodded at Song Ze, then pulled Zhang Yanyan toward the seats by the window. After walking a few steps, she glanced back and whispered to Zhang Yanyan, “It’s him again. What are the odds?”
Zhang Yanyan said nothing. She merely set her tray on the table and picked up her chopsticks to take a piece of pork rib. But in her heart, she knew perfectly well that this was no coincidence.
Song Ze stood where he was, watching them walk away, the smile on his lips unchanged. He then turned and returned to the nearby computer science formation. Wang Hao came over and whispered, “Not bad. You’ve managed to get yourself noticed again.”
“It was just a reflex. Besides, I didn’t even manage to help.” Song Ze picked up his tray, his tone indifferent, though his eyes once again drifted unconsciously toward Zhang Yanyan.
At last, the whistle signaling the end of evening training sounded. The instructor dismissed them, and the field instantly came alive.
The freshmen pulled off their camouflage caps and fanned themselves with them as they headed toward the dormitories or classroom buildings in groups of two or three. Their exhausted figures stretched long beneath the warm yellow streetlights.
Lin Yue had noticed everything clearly. Later, she complained to Zhang Yanyan in private, “Song Ze is way too persistent. He keeps coming up with different ways to make sure you notice him. He’s even more annoying than the guys who throw themselves at you. You can’t get rid of him.”
“Just ignore him. He can do whatever he wants. As long as we don’t respond, there’s nothing he can do. We can’t keep wasting time on this forever.”
Meanwhile, Song Ze talked with his roommates about his progress every night after returning to the dormitory. The others offered suggestions, one after another.
“Your approach is too gentle. She isn’t taking the bait at all. You need to let her know how you feel. Just making sure she notices you won’t be enough.”
“Exactly. Military training is almost over. Take advantage of the opportunity and confess. Whether she accepts you or not, at least you’ll get a definite answer. That’s better than dragging this out.”
“Don’t make your confession overly elaborate. Just be sincere. With your looks and conditions, there’s no reason she wouldn’t be interested.”
Song Ze mulled over their words for two days and decided they had a point. Rather than continuing to deliberately manufacture chance encounters, he might as well be direct and give them both a clear answer.
Military training finally came to an end. The moment the instructor announced dismissal, the field erupted once again. The freshmen pulled off their camouflage caps and fanned themselves as they headed toward the cafeteria in groups of two or three.
Zhang Yanyan, Lin Yue, Zhou Yutong, and the others went to the second cafeteria for a proper meal. They rested for nearly an hour before getting up to leave.
Zhang Yanyan and Lin Yue were carrying the textbooks for their major, which they had just collected from the counselor’s office. There were seven or eight thick books in all, and their weight left both girls’ arms aching.
“If I’d known they would be this heavy, I would’ve found a guy to carry them for us.” Lin Yue grimaced as she shifted the books to her other hand. “And the glass doors of this building have to be pushed open by hand. I don’t even have a free hand left.”
When they reached the entrance to the classroom building, Lin Yue was just about to wedge the books under her arm so she could free a hand to push the door open when a figure approached from behind them.
Song Ze hurried forward and reached out first, gripping the handle of the glass door. He pulled it open and braced it with his arm so it wouldn’t swing back.
“Thanks,” Lin Yue said instinctively. It was only after she spoke that she realized it was Song Ze, and her brows drew together slightly.
Zhang Yanyan also said, “Thanks for the trouble.” Holding her books, she entered the building with Lin Yue. Song Ze continued holding the door until the two girls had completely disappeared inside. Only then did he let go, allowing the door to close.
“Do you think he’s doing it on purpose?” Lin Yue lowered her voice and complained to Zhang Yanyan. “He ‘just happens’ to show up whenever we need help.”
Zhang Yanyan sighed as she walked over to the stairwell, set her books on the steps, and rubbed her aching arms. “Whether he’s doing it on purpose or not, he hasn’t actually done anything too outrageous. There’s nothing we can say.”
Once he goes too far, that person will just squash him.
