He Chengxi wasn’t from Class 7 and couldn’t join some topics at all. She could only lower her head and eat her noodles, listening to Pei Du’s perfunctory replies of “Hmm,” “Oh,” “Is that so.”
“I heard we only get one day off for the Qingming holiday.”
The girl had forgotten to ask for no cilantro and extra scallions, and was now picking out the cilantro one by one.
“I thought it was only half a day.”
Pei Du took a bite of the beef and found this extra-spicy option was truly, intensely spicy, overwhelmingly stimulating.
His throat and stomach both felt a burning sensation.
Seeing the girl hadn’t started eating yet, he got up and went to the front counter to buy four bottles of Dayao soda.
Unclear about the situation, he didn’t buy them chilled.
Returning to his seat, he indeed saw the girl panting “Ha, ha” from the spiciness, her face flushed red.
A small, pink tongue peeked out between her lips, making him want to pinch her cheeks.
Popping open the bottle cap, inserting a straw, he handed the soda to the girl, then placed two bottles on the table behind them.
“Tha, ha, thank you, ha, Classmate Pei.”
He Chengxi accepted the soda with both hands, biting the straw to ease the spiciness, her eyes misty and glazed with a layer of moisture, as if she might burst into tears any second.
“Thank you, young master!”
“Thank you, Classmate Pei.”
Zhao Yu and Hu Zhuyue took the soda, looking for a bottle opener, then seemed to think of something. The two of them looked at Pei Du and He Chengxi and started snickering “heh heh.”
After sitting down, Pei Du focused on eating his noodles. When dining with friends who aren’t yet very close, it’s not good to play on your phone; otherwise, he would have wanted to check if the novels he followed had updated.
“Classmate Pei, you’re very considerate.”
He Chengxi was unbearably spicy, yet she kept taking bite after bite of noodles. She truly thought they were delicious.
Unable to help herself, she glanced at Pei Du sitting opposite. The boy sat upright, and the way he ate gave off an elegant feeling—no sense of wolfing it down, yet not awkward either, just natural and proper.
So handsome no matter how you looked.
“My service to my patrons is generally passable.”
“Pfft!”
This time, the two eavesdropping at the next table both choked.
By the time Pei Du realized what outrageous thing he was about to say, it was too late to stop it.
—It just came out smoothly.
He ate his noodles, acting as calm as if nothing had happened, but inwardly resolved never to let his mind wander during a conversation again.
It’s all because of yesterday’s video!
He Chengxi listened to Pei Du’s statement in a daze. Some kind of mental image shattered, replaced by a more real, more down-to-earth filter.
A Classmate Pei like this is so interesting.
“Then my money wasn’t wasted.”
The girl lowered her head, a few stray locks of hair hiding the smile on her face, but they couldn’t block her soft, light laughter.
The rising steam blurred their faces, steaming the heart with warmth.
“Huh? Pei Du, you came to eat at this beef noodle place too.”
Someone sat down at the vacant seat beside them. It was a familiar face to Pei Du.
Chen Xintian spoke to Pei Du, her peripheral glance sweeping towards He Chengxi.
Strange.
She didn’t seem Pei Du’s type at all, so why did he come to eat with her alone today, right after rejecting me yesterday?
Chen Xintian, whose eyes were only on Pei Du, automatically ignored Zhao Yu and Hu Zhuyue at the next table.
Did he have a date with her yesterday too?
I must find out what’s going on!
Originally thinking she could take it slow and steady, securing him gradually, but out of nowhere appeared a woman whose progress gauge seemed higher than hers. Even with her usual confidence, Chen Xintian couldn’t sit still.
Chen Xinmei sat woodenly across from her sister. She wasn’t that interested in that man.
The problem was, she didn’t want to eat at this shop, but her sister, passing by, had spotted this sexually dysfunctional guy and dragged her in.
Her life was so bitter.
Also, why did this sexually dysfunctional guy seem a bit more handsome today?
“Yes.”
Pei Du replied, not sensing anything off.
“Is it good?”
“Passable.”
“If you’d come with me yesterday, you could’ve eaten it earlier.”
Chen Xintian revealed her true intent.
Today, she deliberately didn’t tie up her hair, letting it flow down her back. Her bangs were clipped up with a very cute rabbit hairpin. Her features were delicate and charming, and the eye shadow that seemed sprinkled with star dust had an indescribable beauty.
Calculatedly leaning forward, she let the perfume she’d applied in the morning subtly waft towards the man she coveted.
“I had something to do yesterday and ate at home.”
Pei Du had to repeat yesterday’s words again.
He smelled the overwhelming scent of tea fragrance.
Did she wear perfume? Pei Du didn’t think much of it.
Hearing Pei Du say it again in front of He Chengxi, Chen Xintian knew he hadn’t been casually brushing her off yesterday, which reassured her somewhat.
“Alright then,” Chen Xintian turned to look at He Chengxi and asked, “Is this your friend?”
“Yeah.”
Was she? Probably.
Seeing He Chengxi didn’t refute him, Pei Du figured she also tacitly agreed they counted as friends.
He didn’t consider He Chengxi a close, heart-to-heart friend; it was more like a “gentleman’s friendship.”
They interacted, but the emotional bond wasn’t deep.
He Chengxi felt a little flutter of joy in her heart. Hearing Classmate Pei acknowledge her as a friend with his own words felt inexplicably pleasant.
Pursing her lips, the girl felt dizzy.
Her heartbeat grew louder, her body grew softer, her pulse seemed to throb from her hands.
“Thump” “Thump”
Feeling light-headed.
“Hello, I’m He Chengxi, Classmate Pei’s friend,” the petite girl didn’t know why she said this either, just felt she should, “Are you Classmate Pei’s friend?”
“Hello, top of the grade. I’m Chen Xintian, Pei Du’s classmate.”
He Chengxi’s active response was also what Chen Xintian had hoped for.
Her earlier remarks were aimed precisely at testing He Chengxi’s reaction and attitude.
“Two bowls of the signature raw-blanched beef noodles, wide noodles, no cilantro, no cilantro, thank you.”
Chen Xinmei ordered with the server, praying there wouldn’t be a single speck of cilantro this time.
Please, none at all.
He Chengxi wanted to ask, “You don’t like cilantro either?” but, thinking of something, remained silent.
The atmosphere grew somewhat stiff. Chen Xintian, intentionally or not, chatted with Pei Du about trivial matters, breaking the previous conversational dynamic between Pei Du and He Chengxi.
He Chengxi wasn’t from Class 7 and couldn’t join some topics at all. She could only lower her head and eat her noodles, listening to Pei Du’s perfunctory replies of “Hmm,” “Oh,” “Is that so.”
“Young master, I’m finished. Should we head back to the classroom?”
“Xibao, are you done eating?”
Having eaten He Chengxi’s meal, one had to speak up for the great He Chengxi.
Zhao Yu was skilled at sensing atmospheres, and Hu Zhuyue always stood up for her best friend.
Noticing He Chengxi was in an awkward conversational position, they suggested ending the dialogue.
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
He Chengxi still had some left but couldn’t eat anymore.
Her heart couldn’t take it anymore.
Pei Du had finished long ago and wanted to escape the scene, sipping soda through a straw bit by bit to mask his idleness.
If he hadn’t yet managed to completely disregard others’ opinions, he would have already ditched everyone and run.
The four of them tidied up, wiped their mouths, and prepared to head back to school.
Sister Chen Xintian ate her noodles with satisfaction.
So she’s a completely non-threatening little nobody.
Probably couldn’t even take a bite if meat were placed right in front of her mouth.
Sister Chen Xinmei was in despair. There was cilantro again.
She meticulously searched through every single noodle, determined to eliminate all traces of cilantro—mainly because the smell of cilantro made her nauseous, and the noodles were marinated in the flavor; she had to wash it away with the broth.
“Bye-bye.”
Chen Xintian happily waved goodbye to Pei Du. The other three, she acted as if she didn’t see.
Two female creatures and some random stray dog guy, nothing worth noticing.
Pei Du nodded and waved back in acknowledgment.
Stepping out of the noodle shop, many students were already on their way back.
Some carried several bowls of food, probably takeout for classmates.
A boy on the left, holding a female classmate’s hand, was talking animatedly about something, making the girl beside him laugh repeatedly.
“Classmate Pei, what do you think of this place?”
He Chengxi asked Pei Du quietly.
“Passable.”
Saying that, Pei Du didn’t think he’d ever come back.
Too spicy, bad for the stomach. If he kept eating it, he’d probably end up in the hospital countless times with gastritis before even turning twenty-five and gaining life freedom.
A taste was enough.
“Are you coming out to eat again tonight?”
…Hey.
Pei Du looked at the girl hugging her coat, revealing the cute sweatshirt underneath, and inexplicably felt he was sinking into a troublesome whirlpool.
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂