Zhou Tingzhao returned to the classroom. As expected, Sang Ru was already seated at her desk, and the crowd that had gathered around her had somehow already dispersed.

Seeing him return, Sang Ru casually spared him a glance: “Where did you go?”

“Restroom.”

“Oh,” she said flatly, with nothing more to add.

Zhou Tingzhao arranged his books, asking with feigned casualness: “What did he want with you?”

“To see if I’ve recovered from my illness.”

After Sang Ru’s response, besides an “Oh,” she didn’t receive any other reaction from Zhou Tingzhao.

That’s it?

He had just coldly rejected her request for a reward earlier, and now anger rose in her heart.

Sang Ru pretended to suddenly remember something and said, “Oh right, I just invited Brother Luo He to join our dinner, and he accepted.”

She pronounced the words “Brother” with particular clarity, then asked: “You wouldn’t object, would you?”

Zhou Tingzhao finally turned to look at her, his expression so serious that her heart trembled. However, he simply looked at her for a few seconds before lowering his head to look at his books again, his voice tense: “No, I wouldn’t.”

She could sense that his emotions weren’t as calm as his surface suggested, but if he wanted to hold them in, then let him. Moreover, he wanted her to hold back too, so Sang Ru also lowered her head to continue reading and said nothing more-

The dinner time was set for Saturday afternoon, and everyone unanimously voted to eat barbecue.

With more than a dozen people, they had to sit at two or three tables. When allocating seats, Sang Ru said, “Someone else is coming. I’ll save a seat for him on my side.”

“Who else is coming? Isn’t everyone already here?”

“One of my brothers,” Sang Ru answered with a feigned, shy smile. Many people who heard this started to tease her, but after glancing at Zhou Tingzhao, they all unconsciously fell silent—the matter of Zhou Tingzhao writing Sang Ru a “love letter” had become an open secret.

Sang Ru also glanced at Zhou Tingzhao, saw his displeased expression, and raised her eyebrows as she prepared to order food.

Having said she would leave an empty seat, the place to Sang Ru’s left remained vacant, while Zhou Tingzhao was pushed to sit down on her right, under the pretext that the two main characters should sit together, considering it the place of honor.

The atmosphere gradually became lively. The smoky aroma of grilled food filtered into the air. Zhou Tingzhao silently grilled a piece of meat and placed it in Sang Ru’s bowl, then continued to grill another piece.

“Save some for him,” Sang Ru ate happily but deliberately tried to provoke Zhou Tingzhao. Then she waved her hand and changed her words, “Never mind, we can order more if it’s not enough. He has a big appetite.”

Zhou Tingzhao’s movements as he turned the grilled meat paused. He withdrew his hand, picked up his cup, and took a large gulp of water.

He unconsciously clenched his molars and asked: “When is he coming?”

“I don’t know. Why is Brother Luo He late again?” Sang Ru complained.

Though she called it a complaint, her tone was extremely intimate.

Zhou Tingzhao rarely spoke much normally, and during this meal, he spoke even less. However, when he saw Sang Ru’s bowl was empty, he would promptly add more food for her, but without saying a word, as if he had transformed from a customer into a waiter.

Whether Zhou Tingzhao was happy or not was unclear, but Sang Ru was quite happy. Although they had been deskmates for the past two days, they had barely spoken, not to mention the secret gestures of previous days.

The icy demeanor on Zhou Tingzhao’s face seemed ready to fall off each day, but when it came to taking care of her, he remained meticulous. He would help pour water when needed, help carry homework, and even now was grilling meat for her.

Yet she still felt it wasn’t enough.

Zhou Tingzhao was too fond of keeping his feelings bottled up. What would happen if he let them out?

Sang Ru silently apologized to Luo He, who had become her tool, thinking about using him to pressure Zhou Tingzhao, forcing him to express everything he was thinking.

Preferably in an eight-hundred-word essay, thoroughly explaining how much he liked her.

The KTV gathering format would simply never go out of style. Entering the private room, Sang Ru couldn’t help but recall how, later on, she had met Zhou Tingzhao again as an acquaintance in just such an environment.

Zhou Tingzhao, seeing Sang Ru lower her head, lost in thought, couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about that person. The more such thoughts emerged, the more chaotic his emotions became.

At this moment, a male student suggested: “Let’s order a few bottles of alcohol to drink!”

Immediately, a female student hesitantly said: “But we’re still high school students…”

“It’s alright, I’m an adult.”

“I’m an adult too!”

…

In the end, everyone compromised. Those who wanted to drink alcohol would drink, and those who didn’t order other beverages.

Li Chenfei was recording everyone’s requests and turned to Zhou Tingzhao to ask: “Zhou Tingzhao, what would you like to drink?”

“Alcohol.”

“Huh?” Li Chenfei looked at Sang Ru, and Sang Ru looked at Zhou Tingzhao.

Li Chenfei asked again: “Are you of legal age?”

Zhou Tingzhao didn’t answer, only repeating: “Alcohol, thank you.”

Li Chenfei responded with an “Oh, oh” as she wrote it down, her eyes moving between the two of them a couple of times, and then asked Sang Ru: “Sang Sang, what would you like to drink? Cola?”

Sang Ru gave a mocking laugh and said, “I’ll have alcohol too, thank you.”

Li Chenfei: …

These two seemed off today, with a heavy atmosphere of tension. She noted “cola” beside the alcohol she had recorded for Sang Ru.

Better order both, just in case.

The song selection segment had already begun. Those who wanted to sing had gone to the screen to choose songs, but since the person Sang Ru said would come hadn’t arrived yet, someone asked: “Sang Sang, hasn’t your brother arrived yet? Do you want to select a song for him?”

Sang Ru smiled: “You all sing first. I’ll ask him.”

Just as she finished speaking, Sang Ru heard the person sitting beside her give a cold laugh and say in a deep voice: “Why wait for someone who has no concept of punctuality.”

He had finally spoken sarcastically. Sang Ru found his prickly words amusing but pretended to be displeased: “I choose to wait for him.”

Zhou Tingzhao turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto hers, with what looked like a brewing storm in their depths.

The two stared at each other, neither yielding, until they heard the door open.

“Drinks and alcohol are here!”-

Bonus chapter due to dropping 10,000 pigs.