“Oh, it’s Chu Xin! Changed girlfriends again, have we?” A gentle, attractive woman, dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt, stood behind the counter. She possessed a pleasant, unassuming beauty. Noticing Chu Xin’s arrival, she teased him playfully.
Chu Xin did not answer immediately. Instead, he skillfully found a window seat and motioned for Qing Shu Zhen to sit opposite him.
This was their usual spot, chosen by Ji Yue Xuan. Despite the sun, the view of the bustling street outside offered a peculiar sense of comfort.
Only after seeing Qing Shu Zhen settle into her seat with a bewildered expression did he respond, a wry smile gracing his lips. “Sister Bai, please don’t tease me like that.”
The woman, addressed as “Sister Bai,” covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She then continued, “What about that blonde girl who often comes with you? Wasn’t she your girlfriend?”
Chu Xin was about to deny it, but a sudden thought made him pause. A faint blush crept onto his face as he replied, “She had something to do, so she didn’t come. As for the person opposite me, she’s my class monitor. This is just an apology for accidentally bumping into her.”
Sister Bai immediately understood. Thoughtfully, she retrieved a menu and, after handing it to Chu Xin, rested her chin in her hand. “Chu Xin, you can’t carry on like this. Girls can easily get jealous, and if you can’t appease them, things could get serious.”
Chu Xin blinked, slightly taken aback. With a somewhat insensitive air, he responded, “Ji Yue Xuan definitely wouldn’t.”
Sister Bai sighed softly. “Don’t underestimate girls… But then again, you’ll have to figure that out yourself. What would you like to eat today?”
Chu Xin took the menu and began to ask Qing Shu Zhen what she wanted, though it mostly consisted of him listing dishes and her simply nodding.
After handing the menu to Sister Bai, she mumbled softly, “What kind of way to order is this?”
Chu Xin chuckled. “No choice, I have to consider my guest’s preference.”
Sister Bai playfully tapped his forehead. “I bet these are all your favorites.”
With that, she took the menu and went to busy herself in the kitchen.
****
Sister Bai’s name was Bai Liu. She wasn’t a native of Tianhai City but had married into the area.
Her husband had mentioned it in conversation with Bai Liu, and Chu Xin had even met him. He appeared to be a second-generation rich heir from Tianhai City.
The couple had fallen in love during their student days, and he had married Sister Bai after fully taking over his family’s business.
Bai Liu, who could have comfortably lived as a CEO’s wife, was too restless. She took some money to open a small restaurant called ‘Cat-Meow Restaurant.’
The menu featured her own culinary skills, offering both Western and Chinese dishes. It was said she had learned to cook during her student years to pursue her husband.
Though initially opened as a hobby, the restaurant unexpectedly became popular. It usually employed a student waitress.
However, as summer vacation approached and customer numbers dwindled, Sister Bai thoughtfully gave her paid leave. The restaurant’s location was also excellent, situated near a shopping mall, subway station, and commercial street.
Chu Xin had heard from her husband that a lot of connections were used to secure the location. The CEO, he learned, had a wonderful personality and doted on Sister Bai.
He would often come to help out when he had free time. While idle, he would chat with Chu Xin as he ate, proving to be very approachable.
They were truly a perfect couple, a talented man and a beautiful woman. However, whenever Chu Xin came to eat after working out with Ji Yue Xuan, he never saw the CEO.
Even when he spotted the CEO’s luxury car parked outside, the man himself was nowhere to be found.
Chu Xin attributed this to the CEO’s doting husband tendencies, or perhaps he was simply henpecked. He might have feared what Sister Bai would do if she saw him talking to other young women.
As for how Chu Xin became familiar with Sister Bai, there was no grand story. He simply became a regular customer.
Chu Xin’s eating habits were irregular, often avoiding crowds. Sister Bai would sometimes chat with him.
Moreover, after his godmother and stepsister went traveling, he usually ate here after school on weekdays and during lunch on weekends. That’s how their acquaintance deepened.
Sister Bai’s gentle, calm, and attentive nature made her feel more like an elder sister than his own stepsister.
Chu Xin recalled that his mother and stepsister had been away for quite some time, nearly half a month now. He received daily photos of the scenery they visited and snapshots of the two of them together.
He wondered if they would return before summer vacation. He wanted to try out a part-time job in this blended setting, and he needed to discuss it with his godmother.
****
As the two waited for their food, bored, Chu Xin suddenly noticed Qing Shu Zhen’s ahoge twitching upright. Then, in a manner entirely unlike her usual self, she began to speak. “Classmate Chu Xin! I heard that sister say you’ve brought many girlfriends here before? That’s wrong! According to the ‘Maria Academy Student Code,’ students should…”
She then launched into a rapid-fire speech, completely astounding Chu Xin. He never imagined that his usually composed, naturally bewildered class monitor could speak so quickly and articulately.
‘Is this truly the class monitor?’ he mused. He hadn’t even glanced at that student code since he transferred to this class and received his copy.
Moreover, it had been at least ten, if not twenty, minutes since Sister Bai made that comment. ‘Was she really just building up her energy?’
As her speech accelerated, Qing Shu Zhen’s demeanor grew increasingly unsettling. Her voice rose steadily, and her expression became progressively more stern.
Chu Xin quickly interjected. “Stop, Class Monitor! Sister Bai was just joking. I haven’t brought many girlfriends here.”
The moment Chu Xin’s words faded, Qing Shu Zhen’s gaze sharpened instantly. “So you *have* brought a girlfriend here, then?”
Seeing Qing Shu Zhen about to launch into another lecture, Chu Xin hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no!”
‘After all, when I brought Ji Yue Xuan here, she wasn’t my girlfriend yet…’
Upon hearing Chu Xin’s words, Qing Shu Zhen’s ahoge immediately drooped. Her demeanor reverted to its usual blankness, and her voice became soft, cute, and slow. “Oh~ alright then. But… Classmate Chu Xin, please do follow the student code properly…”
She then returned to her original state.
Chu Xin let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure what had just happened with the class monitor, but it had certainly been frightening. She must have been angry.
He never expected his usually bewildered class monitor to look like that when upset.
Still, the class monitor was truly responsible, even thinking to remind him of the student code outside of school. It was no wonder she was so popular among the girls.
However, he pondered, how did a girls’ academy end up with rules against dating and breaking romantic promises?
Chu Xin didn’t dwell on it. Just then, all their dishes arrived. After thanking Sister Bai and sending a photo to Ji Yue Xuan, he gestured for Qing Shu Zhen to start eating. This period had truly exhausted him.
Qing Shu Zhen seemed to adore food, quickly stuffing herself like a hamster. The ahoge on her head bounced animatedly, like something out of an anime.
Chu Xin felt an inexplicable urge to pull it to see how it worked.
He ultimately resisted the urge.
Yet, seeing Qing Shu Zhen’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s, he couldn’t help but take a tissue and gently wipe her face.
Sister Bai watched from the front desk, a gentle smile on her face.
Just then, a shiver ran down Chu Xin’s spine. As if by instinct, he glanced towards the half-wall, floor-to-ceiling window beside them, and was startled.
There, a girl with red streaks dyed into her blonde hair and light makeup was staring down at him, her face filled with murderous intent. Her eyes, fixed on his “intimate gesture” with Qing Shu Zhen, seemed poised to pop out of her head.
As Chu Xin racked his brain, trying to recall who she was, Qing Shu Zhen, who had been hastily stuffing food into her mouth, tilted her head slightly, looked at the girl, and said, “Oh, it’s Ten’i-chan~”