Throughout the entire morning, Ruan Yu was in a daze, slumping wherever she went. Because of this, she was called on during Advanced Mathematics class. The math teacher asked her to solve a problem – it wasn’t difficult, but because she was distracted, she had no idea which problem was being discussed. Her three roommates were lost in their worlds, their thoughts drifting even further than hers, so she couldn’t count on them. Fortunately, Vice Class Monitor Wang Jing quietly reminded her from behind, allowing her to barely get through it.

After morning classes ended, Jian Xiangxiang rushed off to find her boyfriend, Chen Manbai had to return to the studio for livestreaming, and Xia Qiaofeng had plans to go shopping with fellow townspeople. Ruan Yu planned to return to the dorm to sleep.

Just as she walked out of the classroom door, Wang Jing followed her.

“Ruan Yu, are you alright?” Wang Jing was quite heavy, but his voice was particularly pleasant. “I noticed you weren’t in good shape all morning.”

“I’m fine. Thanks for earlier.”

“You’re welcome, we should help each other out.”

They walked side by side for a while. Although they were in the same class, they weren’t very close, and Ruan Yu didn’t know what to say to him. She just felt the walk becoming increasingly awkward.

“There’s no class this afternoon. Want to go out for lunch together?” Wang Jing suddenly invited.

“No thanks, I’ll go to the cafeteria,” she rejected promptly.

Wang Jing scratched the back of his head, his face slightly red.

“Alright then, maybe next time.”

Ruan Yu nodded slightly, turned into the stairwell, and headed down in another direction straight to the cafeteria. She actually had no appetite, but worried she wouldn’t make it through the afternoon without eating.

The cafeteria was somewhat crowded. She ordered a bowl of mixed noodles from the small window and found a nearby seat. Just after taking two bites, she sensed the atmosphere around her changing.

The men and women who had been standing in orderly lines all turned to look at the cafeteria entrance, with occasional whispers rising from the crowd.

“It’s Teng Yi!”

“It is him! What wind brought him here today that we’d see him in the cafeteria!”

Two girls at the next table excitedly took out their phones, only to see Teng Yi carrying a tray and walking in their direction.

“Oh my god, he’s coming this way!”

Ruan Yu looked up to see Teng Yi stopping right in front of her. His bright black eyes were gazing at her intently. Inexplicably, Ruan Yu remembered the day she met him on the school rooftop.

That day, she discovered for the first time that a boy’s eyes could be so beautiful.

“May I sit down?” Teng Yi pointed to the seat across from her.

Ruan Yu glanced at the girls watching intently around them and said, “You’d better not.”

Upon hearing this, Teng Yi put down his tray and sat directly across from her.

The onlookers let out a collective sigh. The situation was clearly out of control, so Ruan Yu simply lowered her head and continued eating her noodles as if nothing was happening.

“About yesterday, I’m sorry,” Teng Yi looked at the girl across from him. Her expression was cold, making no attempt to hide her rejection and resistance toward him.

It seemed she hadn’t gotten over it yet.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Besides, he had warned her not to let herself be bullied.

“I apologize on behalf of my brother.”

Ruan Yu remained silent. She stirred the mixed noodles in her tray with her chopsticks, suddenly finding the taste of peanut sauce unbearably greasy.

More and more people filled the cafeteria, and the gazes directed at them grew increasingly complex.

Teng Yi remained composed, but Ruan Yu felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. She longed to be someone dazzling but had never anticipated that such brilliance would come with having every move scrutinized under a magnifying glass.

After a while, she couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up with her tray.

“I’ll return your jacket once it’s dry. I’m leaving first.”