As soon as Ji Zhaoxi returned to school, she sprinted to the dormitory, dropped off her luggage, and rushed straight to the cafeteria.
Her beef noodles!
The auntie at the beef-noodle counter blinked in disbelief when she saw Ji Zhaoxi.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at her with tears in her eyes.
“Oh my, it’s you!” The auntie was overjoyed.
“Auntie, long time no see!” Ji Zhaoxi stared at the familiar counter, and she nearly cried into her bowl.
Her father’s beef noodles were delicious too, but they still didn’t taste like Auntie’s.
Of course, she would never dare say that at home.
The auntie immediately began making Ji Zhaoxi a bowl of beef noodles, chatting with her as she worked.
“Hey, aren’t you a celebrity?” the auntie asked cheerfully.
“During the summer, my daughter was always watching you on her phone. One day I leaned over to take a look and thought, hey! This celebrity looks familiar!”
Ji Zhaoxi waved her hands awkwardly. “Auntie, I’m not a celebrity. I’m an internet influencer.”
The auntie ladled the noodles into a bowl, looking puzzled. “What’s an internet influencer? Aren’t they all celebrities?”
But she didn’t dwell on the question. She simply smiled and said, “My daughter was so happy when she found out I knew you. She told me to say that she’s one of your student fans.”
Student fans everywhere.
“Thank you for your daughter’s support,” Ji Zhaoxi said stiffly.
Her daughter hadn’t given her money for snacks too, had she?
Ji Zhaoxi already felt a little guilty whenever she saw the auntie.
The auntie continued smiling. “Could you give her a few words of encouragement? She’s in sixth grade this year.”
“Sixth grade?!” Ji Zhaoxi’s voice rose in shock.
The auntie placed the finished bowl of noodles on the counter, pulled out her phone, and Ji Zhaoxi obligingly looked into the camera.
“Sweetheart, look who Mommy ran into—the big star you like best!” the auntie said to the camera.
A few students nearby glanced over curiously and began whispering. Before long, they had formed a loose semicircle around them.
“Who’s that? Did a celebrity come to our school?”
“That’s Ji Zhaoxi. You don’t know her? She was huge over the summer.”
“Oh, Ji Zhaoxi eats beef noodles just like the rest of us?”
“Damn! I used to ship her with Lin Zhehan!”
“You’d better stop shipping them…”
“Does that mean she won’t have to find a job after graduation? I’m so jealous.”
Feeling the gazes around her, Ji Zhaoxi’s face flushed bright red. She forced herself to stay calm and waved at the camera.
“Thank you for liking me, little sister. Study hard, and make sure you get plenty of rest.”
The auntie even asked Ji Zhaoxi to take several photos with her. Once they had finished, Ji Zhaoxi hurriedly carried her bowl of beef noodles to a corner of the cafeteria and sat down.
Faint, half-hidden glances drifted over from all around her. After all, the livestream she had done with Sanzi had even appeared on a legal affairs news program, though she had only been involved in passing.
Just then, a figure silently sat down diagonally across from her, blocking those inquisitive gazes.
Ji Zhaoxi looked up and saw a certain someone eating the exact same beef noodles as her.
Ji Zhaoxi: …
Copycat.
Lu Huainan noticed her gaze. After hesitating, he glanced at her and silently handed her a packet of tissues.
Ji Zhaoxi gave him a suspicious look, then pulled out a few tissues.
After finishing his noodles, Lu Huainan wiped his mouth and silently handed her a bottle of water. Ji Zhaoxi took a few sips.
Lu Huainan gathered his courage and looked at her. He greeted her awkwardly, “Long time no see.”
Ji Zhaoxi fell silent. Had he lost his memory? As far as she knew, they had only parted ways two hours ago.
They put their trays away, and Lu Huainan followed at Ji Zhaoxi’s side. His face was stiff with tension, and he seemed not to know what to do with his hands and feet.
“Are you… tired? I bought a new camera. We can use it to take some promotional photos.”
If this had been before, Ji Zhaoxi would have agreed immediately.
But right now, she only wanted to go back to the dorm and sleep.
“Maybe next time. I’m a little sleepy,” Ji Zhaoxi said listlessly.
Lu Huainan looked at her tired face and answered in a low voice.
The heat in the air gradually faded. The sunset slowly melted across the sky, while the leaves rustled in the breeze.
The two of them walked one after the other, with some distance between them. Neither said a word. The only sound was the occasional crunch of fallen leaves beneath their feet.
Lu Huainan watched Ji Zhaoxi ahead of him as the light of the setting sun spilled through the leaves and traced a faint golden outline around her. Even her strands of hair looked almost translucent.
Every now and then, she would lower her head and kick a small stone beside the path. Lu Huainan followed behind her, stepping on each stone in turn.
They soon reached the women’s dormitory. Ji Zhaoxi stood on the steps and looked awkwardly at Lu Huainan, who remained some distance away.
“I’m going upstairs.”
Lu Huainan stared blankly at her and nodded.
Then, almost instinctively, he added, “See you tomorrow.”
Ji Zhaoxi gave a muffled response and kicked the little stone in front of her. It flew straight into Lu Huainan’s knee.
Lu Huainan stood there awkwardly and said earnestly, “Um… that tea. Can I bring it to you tomorrow?”
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him in confusion. “Which tea?”
“The one your aunt makes for you every day,” Lu Huainan said quietly. “The one that’s supposed to replenish your energy and blood.”
He had often seen her bring it out to drink during the summer.
He had gone and learned how to make it.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him and couldn’t help saying, “Lu Huainan, you don’t have to do these things for me.”
Things between them were so awkward now.
The color drained from Lu Huainan’s face, leaving it deathly pale. He lowered his head miserably and stared at the stones on the ground.
The evening wind made him feel terribly cold. He gripped the camera tightly and drew in a deep breath.
“I’m sorry… I was wrong before.” Lu Huainan lifted his head, his voice hoarse and his eyes filled with caution. “I went to someone who specializes in it and learned how to make it. You can drink it during your livestreams. You can throw it away if you don’t want it.”
“Don’t feel pressured… Just think of it as concern from a fellow student, okay?”
When he saw Ji Zhaoxi looking at him, he forced a smile.
Looking at Lu Huainan like this, Ji Zhaoxi felt helpless, but also faintly satisfied.
She sighed. How complicated. If only dealing with people were as simple as dealing with Ji Xinxin.
“Fine, you can bring it. But I might not drink it.”
At those words, the dimness in Lu Huainan’s eyes instantly gave way to light. His breathing quickened, and he stammered, “Okay… I understand. I’ll make it carefully. It’s fine even if you don’t drink it.”
His eyes shone as he looked at Ji Zhaoxi. The corners of his tightly pressed lips kept trying to curve upward, but he was afraid she would notice and forcibly suppressed the smile.
Ji Zhaoxi stared at him for a moment, then coughed awkwardly. “Then I’m really going upstairs now.”
For a split second just now, she had almost thought Lu Huainan had been possessed by an overexcited puppy.
Lu Huainan nodded and said stiffly, “See you tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, far away at the Ji family home…
The moment Mother Ji opened Ji Zhaoxi’s bedroom door, she stared at the wreckage inside and shouted furiously, “Ji Xinxin, you’re in trouble! What have you done to your sister’s clothes? You chewed them into this state?!”
“Get over here right now! And don’t pretend you’ve gone lame!”
