Chapter 24

For some reason, Shen Siyan’s smile seemed gentle.

“Really,” he said, “I just misspoke.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She didn’t quite understand why Shen Siyan had changed so much.

But she didn’t dwell on it. She thought maybe Shen Siyan was in a good mood and was simply flattering her.

Xu Zhilu glanced around and said, “An An and the others are here. Let’s go.”

Shen Siyan responded with a casual, “Hmm,” and asked quietly, “Have you informed the teacher?”

“I have.”

Xin An’an and Cheng Song approached, and the four of them left the auditorium together.

“Where to now?” Shen Siyan asked.

“I’m hungry,” Xin An’an declared. “Let’s go eat hot pot.”

Cheng Song: “…Hot pot in the middle of summer?”

“It’s summer now, just the beginning,” Xin An’an argued.

“Same here.”

Xin An’an looked at Xu Zhilu with bright eyes. “Zhilu?”

“Sure,” Xu Zhilu said eagerly. “I’m in the mood for hot pot.”

Shen Siyan had no objections. Even if Cheng Song did, it would be hard for him to express it now.

The four of them went to the city center, where there were many hot pot restaurants to choose from. Xu Zhilu had a dance class in the afternoon, so it was convenient for her to be in the city center.

When they arrived, the hot pot restaurant wasn’t very crowded, and they found a seat right away.

Originally, Xu Zhilu planned to sit with Xin An’an, but as soon as Xin An’an sat down, Cheng Song took the seat next to her.

Seeing this, Xu Zhilu felt awkward asking Cheng Song to move, so she chose a seat on the other side.

Shen Siyan looked at her and said, “Come sit closer.”

Xu Zhilu responded, “I’d prefer to sit on the outside.”

“It’s inconvenient to sit on the inside and exit.”

Shen Siyan raised his eyes and said calmly, “The aisle is messy, with waiters and diners moving around. Sit on the inside.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

She thought about it and decided that Shen Siyan’s point was valid. “Okay then.”

The two of them sat down, and Xu Zhilu began to wash the dishes with the tea brought by the waiter.

She had a small habit of re-washing dishes to make sure they were clean.

As she was washing, Shen Siyan pushed a dish toward her and said, “By the way…”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

“Don’t you have hands?”

Shen Siyan chuckled in annoyance. “You have hands too. Can’t you help?”

Xu Zhilu rolled her eyes. “Fine, but be polite.”

“Okay. Could Miss Xu Zhilu please help wash the dishes?”

“…Alright.”

Xu Zhilu lowered her eyes. “I’ll help, but just barely.”

Shen Siyan smiled with an ambiguous tone.

During the ordering process, Shen Siyan and Cheng Song were very considerate of the two girls.

Despite their rebellious high school personas, they were particularly thoughtful in some details.

When it came to respecting women and prioritizing them, both Cheng Song and Shen Siyan maintained this habit.

“You guys order first,” Shen Siyan said.

Xu Zhilu and Xin An’an picked out a lot of their favorite foods and handed their choices to Shen Siyan and Cheng Song only after they had made their selections.

Shen Siyan instructed Cheng Song to choose first. Cheng Song asked for an extra portion of beef and looked at Shen Siyan. “Brother Yan, take another look.”

Shen Siyan glanced at the menu and asked, “Is that enough?”

Xu Zhilu responded, “Order more if you need to. We don’t want to waste food.”

Shen Siyan nodded. “Alright, let’s go with this for now.”

Xu Zhilu looked at him and asked, “Don’t you want to order anything?”

Shen Siyan poured tea for everyone and laughed. “I’ll eat whatever you order.”

“…”

Xu Zhilu couldn’t argue with that logic.

That’s also why she often eats with Shen Siyan—they share similar tastes. Besides sweet foods, Shen Siyan enjoys the same dishes as Xu Zhilu.

They never had disagreements about food, except when it came to fried chicken.

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