Chapter 3: The Senior Invited Me to Dinner Again

After sending the message, Ling Geng hesitated over the “recall” button for a long time.

He only moved his hand away when the two-minute recall limit had passed, comforting himself: I’m just asking about Yu Huaizhi Ju’s connection to the school, and I’ve made it clear I’m a student here. It shouldn’t upset him, right?

“Ling Geng, class is about to start. Are you coming?” Yu Xun called from outside the dorm.

“Coming! Right away!” Forget it, the message was sent. Ling Geng grabbed his books and headed out.

The first two classes of the morning weren’t major courses. The lecturer was humorous, creating a light-hearted atmosphere.

During the break, Ling Geng checked his phone. His QQ notifications were eerily silent, with no new messages—exactly what he didn’t want to see.

He refreshed the page repeatedly, still no reply.

Yu Xun nudged him, reminding him, “Ling Geng, stop playing with your phone. The third class is with Professor Yu!”

Hearing “Professor Yu,” Ling Geng immediately silenced his phone and put it away. His swift, practiced movements were almost heartbreaking to watch.

“Uh…” Professor Yu Zhan cleared his throat from the podium and began the lecture.

Ling Geng couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Professor Yu seemed unusually restless, scanning the classroom under the pretense of asking questions. And oddly enough, the students he called on were all from Class 9. 

Ling Geng pondered—could being late to one lab really make Professor Yu hold a grudge against the entire class?

On the other hand, as Professor Yu Zhan’s class neared its end, he had almost finished calling on students. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was doing all this for one person.

Someone who had once been highly regarded by his mentor, Professor Li, with a promising future ahead, but who had given up academia for personal interests and chosen to pursue writing instead.

Rumor had it that he was doing well, rich and free, far better off than those of them buried in research.

This person, who he hadn’t contacted for months, suddenly sent him a message that morning, asking if he had the first-semester schedule for Class 9, explaining that it was for writing inspiration.

Professor  Yu Zhan stared at the name “Shao Huaizhi” in the message box, lost in thought.

He had known Shao Huaizhi for years, and he rarely explained himself. Just asking for a schedule shouldn’t require an excuse like needing it for writing inspiration.

Suspicious, he used the class as an opportunity to question the students in Class 9 who might be of interest to Shao Huaizhi, but… almost none of them could answer his questions completely.

Professor Yu Zhan thought, given that Shao Huaizhi’s best subject was one these students couldn’t even answer fully, they likely had no common ground. Shao Huaizhi probably wouldn’t be interested in them, right?

*

When the bell rang for the last class of the morning, the students rushed out of the classroom in a swarm.

Since they were on the fifth floor and the elevator was too crowded, Ling Geng and Yu Xun opted for the stairs.

Halfway down, Ling Geng’s phone buzzed. He glanced at it—it was a message from Shao Huaizhi.

“Do you have classes this afternoon? If not, how about lunch outside?”

He quickly typed a reply.

“I have class. Can’t go.”

Outside the teaching building, Shao Huaizhi smiled. He had the Class 9 schedule; of course, he knew whether Ling Geng had classes or not. He replied:

“I’m outside the teaching building, waiting for you.”

When Ling Geng saw the message, he had just reached the ground floor. Sure enough, he spotted Shao Huaizhi standing in the shade, smiling at him. He stopped in his tracks.

“What’s up?” Yu Xun asked, puzzled.

Ling Geng felt a bit embarrassed. “Uh… why don’t you go to the cafeteria first? I want to eat off-campus since I don’t have classes this afternoon.”

Yu Xun, generous as always, said, “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

“No, no, that’s not necessary.” Ling Geng quickly refused. After all, someone else was treating him to a meal, and it wouldn’t be polite to bring someone else along.

Yu Xun gave him a puzzled look but didn’t press the issue. “Alright, be safe. And remember to bring me some braised duck when you come back. My usual order…”

“Half portion, cut into small pieces, extra spicy with cilantro, no peanuts, right? I know, I know, you order the same thing every time. I’ve got it memorized.” Having known each other for years, Ling Geng was well-acquainted with Yu Xun’s preferences.

Yu Xun sighed, “Alright, see you later.”

Ling Geng gave him a reassuring look. “Bye.”

When he approached Shao Huaizhi, his demeanor changed, showing a hint of impatience. “Didn’t you say I have class this afternoon? Why are you still here?”

Shao Huaizhi, normally considerate, would usually not push boundaries. Even Ling Geng had considered him a good person. But Ling Geng’s intuition told him that Shao Huaizhi was a bit strange, and he decided to maintain some distance, adjusting his attitude accordingly.

“Do you really have class?” Shao Huaizhi stepped closer. “But I just heard someone say that you don’t and that you wanted to eat off-campus.”

“You…” Ling Geng was exasperated. If your hearing is this good, why not donate your eardrums?

Shao Huaizhi gently reassured him, “Alright, alright, your senior is treating you to a meal. What’s wrong with that? Think of it this way: I have too much allowance this month and no place to spend it. Will you help me out?”

Ling Geng: That’s more like it…

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Ling Geng realized that Shao Huaizhi wasn’t joking about having too much money to spend.

The restaurant they went to required reservations and was quite expensive.

To avoid overwhelming Ling Geng, Shao Huaizhi had pre-ordered the meal. After they entered the private room, the waiter simply confirmed the menu with Shao Huaizhi before taking it away.

Ling Geng glanced at the menu, noticing that the price of the first dish was in the four-figure 

range.

He didn’t check the rest, but he assumed they weren’t cheap either.

Such lavish spending—could Shao Huaizhi be a rich second generation?

Shao Huaizhi thoughtfully reminded him, “You mentioned last night that you like spicy food. The dishes here are quite flavorful and should suit your taste.”

He hadn’t expected Shao Huaizhi to remember his offhand comment from the night before, nor that “next time” would come so soon. Ling Geng felt a small wave of gratitude but also caught another point in Shao Huaizhi’s comment. “Quite flavorful? You seem very familiar with this place. Have you been here before?”

“Yes.” Shao Huaizhi calmly added, “This is my second time.” To avoid making Ling Geng think he was a wasteful spender, he downplayed the number of visits.

“Oh…” Ling Geng responded, feeling a bit guilty. The senior had treated him twice, behaving properly each time, and yet he had doubted his intentions and been less than friendly.

Shao Huaizhi placed a small piece of fish in Ling Geng’s bowl. “Try this?”

Even helping him with food… Ling Geng felt even more embarrassed and thought it was time to express his gratitude. “Uh… thank you, senior.”

“No need to be so formal with me.” Shao Huaizhi’s tone was light and familiar, as if they had known each other for a long time. For a moment, Ling Geng almost forgot that they had only met less than two days ago!

This guy was really too easy to get along with!

Shao Huaizhi deftly changed the subject. “By the way, junior year is usually quite demanding academically. How are you adjusting now that the semester has started?”

Ling Geng, grateful for the common topic, quickly let go of Shao Huaizhi’s previous behavior. “It’s okay so far. I don’t really feel it yet. But looking at the schedule, the classes are packed, mostly major courses. It looks exhausting. Did you have this many courses in your junior year, too?”

“Of course. Major courses are typically concentrated in junior year.”

Ling Geng nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. But you’re already a senior now, so your tough days are behind you. Unlike me, who still has to go through it. My friend Yu Xun has a saying: ‘No matter how many times professional courses torment me, I treat them like my first love.’ I think that might be my mindset in the future.”

“Yu Xun?” The unfamiliar name sounded close in Ling Geng’s mouth, so Shao Huaizhi casually asked, “Is he the one who left the building with you?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s my roommate and a childhood friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Sometimes, he says the funniest things, a real mood-lifter. He…”

For some reason, hearing Ling Geng praise someone else made Shao Huaizhi not want to listen anymore. He reached over and gently wiped a bit of oil from the corner of Ling Geng’s mouth with a napkin.

Clearly interrupting, but he still said kindly, “Why did you stop talking? Go on.”

Ling Geng was taken aback, not just surprised but almost in shock. Two guys, this close, with such an intimate gesture—didn’t Shao Huaizhi realize how inappropriate this was?!

Just then, Ling Geng’s phone buzzed with a notification. It was an ad pop-up, but it conveniently broke the awkward moment. He pretended he had something important to handle and said, “Excuse me, I need to reply to a message.”

He angled his phone away and pretended to type, while actually browsing aimlessly.

Inadvertently, he opened the chat with Yu Huaizhi Ju, where the last message from this morning still hadn’t been answered.

As he stared at it, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Shao Huaizhi, sitting taller, could clearly see Ling Geng’s actions but chose not to comment.

But the little one was too persistent, staring at the chat for over five minutes. Was replying that crucial?

Was it more important than Shao Huaizhi himself?

Shao Huaizhi cleared his throat, reminding him, “The food’s getting cold.”

“Oh.” Ling Geng snapped back to reality and smiled awkwardly.

Shao Huaizhi probed, “Was the message you replied to very important?”

Ling Geng thought about it. If he was indeed replying to Yu Huaizhi Ju, then yes, it was quite important. So he answered, “Yeah, it’s a very important person, but he might not think so.”

It sounded melancholy, like a one-sided pursuit.

Shao Huaizhi was silent for a moment.

Suddenly, he asked, quite abruptly, “Do you like reading?”

“Uh?” Ling Geng didn’t immediately catch on. “You mean novels?”

Shao Huaizhi smiled. “Yes.”

“Then I do enjoy reading. There’s an author I particularly like. I follow every one of his novels. His writing and plots are amazing, and his characters are exactly my type. The only downside is the slow updates. I could recommend…” Before he could finish the word ‘recommend,’ Ling Geng stopped himself. What was he thinking? If he recommended these novels to Shao Huaizhi and he ended up liking them, it could get awkward.

Shao Huaizhi, sensing his hesitation, teased, “Recommend… what?”

Ling Geng awkwardly changed the subject. “Nothing. Do you like reading? What do you read?”

Shao Huaizhi looked at him and, wisely, didn’t press further. “I read a variety of genres—literature, realism, both Chinese and foreign. I also read novels like the ones you mentioned. There’s an author with the pen name Yu Huaizhi Ju whose work is quite good.”

Yu Huaizhi what?

Ling Geng stared at Shao Huaizhi in shock.

Seeing his confusion, Shao Huaizhi kindly repeated, “Yu Huaizhi Ju.”

Now, Ling Geng understood.

It was like being struck by lightning. He felt stunned, almost smoking from the shock.

Wait, was Yu Huaizhi Ju that popular? Could anyone randomly pick up his work?

And Shao Huaizhi said he read the published version. If it’s the published version, the content should differ from what’s online, possibly even omitting the romantic subplots. Uncertainly, Ling Geng asked, “Do you know what type of novels Yu Huaizhi Ju writes?”

Shao Huaizhi calmly lied, “Of course, aren’t they martial arts novels?”

Phew. Ling Geng sighed in relief and smiled. “Yes, martial arts novels. You’re right.”

As he smiled, his finger accidentally tapped his phone screen.

Ling Geng found it troublesome; his phone was set to always-on display, and the chat with Yu Huaizhi Ju was still open.

This accidental tap sent multiple system-generated emojis.

In the quiet room, the repeated notification sounds were unmistakable.

And that sound came from Shao Huaizhi’s phone.