“Not bad, better than any cafeteria food I’ve had before.” Yu Qian answered Lin Niannian’s question.

Yu Qian was quite satisfied with this cafeteria. The ingredients were plentiful, the food was delicious, and the serving aunties had steady hands. It was practically the ideal cafeteria for students.

Unfortunately, the students at this school were used to delicacies and gourmet meals, so despite the cafeteria’s vast space, it wasn’t crowded at all.

Seeing Yu Qian eat so heartily, Lin Niannian couldn’t help but start eating her own meal as well.

Bai Qiming noticed this and the corners of his lips curved slightly. He began to consider whether he should make Lin Niannian and Yu Qian eat together more often in the future.

Lin Niannian was a picky eater. She usually ate only a little before claiming she was full, disliked meat, and had a particular fondness for sweets. Every time someone tried to persuade her to eat more, it took ages.

But today, with Yu Qian, she had eaten more than usual. Bai Qiming silently took note of this.

“Ah…… I’m full.” Yu Qian finished her soup and sighed contentedly.

She glanced at Lin Niannian’s plate, which still had more than half of the food left. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, “Niannian, you’re already full?”

Even though Lin Niannian had eaten more than usual, under Yu Qian’s curious gaze, she still felt a bit embarrassed— especially when she saw Yu Qian’s plate, which was completely clean, not even a stray vegetable leaf left.

At that moment, Yu Qian finally had a clear understanding of what a ‘fairy-like appetite’ was.

She usually ate with Qi Yu and the others, and their portions were about the same. The one who ate the least was Fang Yan, but even she would at least finish a full bowl of rice. Lin Niannian, on the other hand, probably hadn’t even eaten half a bowl.

“Looks like I should eat with Little Sister Yu Qian more often. You’re even better than these dishes at improving one’s appetite.”

Jiang Zheng wiped his mouth. There was still some food left on his plate, and he had only taken a couple of sips of soup.

Yu Qian: I’ll just take that as a compliment…… but—

“No need. I don’t want to use you guys to highlight how much I eat.” Yu Qian refused to accept the fact that she, a girl, could out-eat a guy who was at least 180 centimeters tall.

“Don’t be like that.” Jiang Zheng’s peach blossom eyes curved into a grin. “I really enjoy eating with you, Little Sister Yu Qian. Right, Niannian?”

“Mm, watching Qianqian eat makes everything look more appetizing.” Lin Niannian nodded, trying to prove the truth of the statement.

Yu Qian looked at the two of them speechlessly. Were they treating her like a mukbang host for entertainment?

But……

“Student Jiang, could you stop calling me ‘Little Sister Yu Qian’?”

Every time Jiang Zheng called her that, she got goosebumps.

“If you really want me to change how I address you, then I’ll just call you Qianqian from now on.” Jiang Zheng looked as if he was being exceptionally considerate.

“I’d actually prefer if you called me by my full name.” Yu Qian almost choked at hearing ‘Qianqian’ come out of his mouth. It was a perfectly normal name when others said it, but somehow, it sounded off when Jiang Zheng said it.

“I’ll call you Yu Qian when you start calling me Brother Zheng.”

Jiang Zheng raised an eyebrow at her, his face full of mischief. He found Yu Qian’s reactions so amusing that he couldn’t help but tease her again and again.

Brother Zheng? Yu Qian felt nauseous.

What was this, a Qiong Yao drama^[1]romantic TV shows and films based on the works of Taiwanese novelist Chiung Yao. Her novels are known for their dramatic plots, intense melodrama, and idealized love? Why were they still doing the whole ‘brother and sister’ thing?

“As you wish.” Yu Qian gave Jiang Zheng a fake smile and decided not to argue over it anymore.

────ρя


After their meal, Lin Niannian dragged Yu Qian around campus for a while.

When they passed by the school’s convenience store, Yu Qian unconsciously walked in and bought a large bag of snacks to keep in the classroom. It was a habit she had maintained for a long time.

In the afternoon, before the first class had even ended, Yu Qian suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She glanced at the clock.

There were still ten minutes left. Yu Qian clutched her stomach and rubbed it hard, trying to suppress the sudden and urgent need.

As soon as the teacher said, “Class dismissed”, Yu Qian grabbed some tissue paper and sprinted out of the classroom like a hundred-meter sprinter. So fast that Lin Niannian didn’t even have time to react.

Thank the heavens that the teachers at this school never dragged out their lessons.

Yu Qian dashed into the restroom, her pained expression slowly turning into one of relief.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The sudden knocking startled Yu Qian. Then, she heard a clear female voice from the stall next door.

“Hey Sis, your tissue smells so nice. Can I see what brand it is?”

Yu Qian: “???” Are people starting conversations in the restroom now?

She looked at the tissue in her hand. It was from the Bai family, a brand she had never seen before.

She actually quite liked it. The scent was pleasant but not overpowering, and every time she wiped, she felt like even her butt smelled nice.

Seeing that Yu Qian wasn’t responding, the person next door spoke again, “Sis, I really, really love the scent of your tissue. Can you let me take a look? Just a quick peek……”

“……Alright.” Yu Qian hesitated for a moment before sliding the tissue under the partition.

Something felt…… off.

Just as she was thinking about it, she suddenly heard a “Zip” sound from the next stall.

That was the sound of tissue packaging being opened.

Then came the sound of tissues being pulled out……

She only had two sheets left inside……

Damn it……

Yu Qian’s pupils suddenly dilated. Before she could react, the voice from the next stall spoke again, “Sorry, Sis, I’ll borrow your tissue for now. Wait here, I’ll go get some and bring it back to you.”

Right after that, there was a loud “Bang” as the stall door swung open, followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

“Is anyone still here?”

The suffocating silence in the air answered Yu Qian. There was no one else left in the restroom.

A chill ran through her heart. To think that she, wise and foresighted all her life, had just been tricked out of her toilet paper by some random girl in a bathroom.

Damnation! At least leave me one sheet! Yu Qian cursed the unknown girl furiously in her heart.
Two more minutes passed and she could feel the cold creeping up her backside. She had no choice but to consider seeking outside help.

Fortunately, she had developed the habit of always keeping her phone on her, or she would’ve had to wait for the next unfortunate soul to enter the restroom and rescue her.

Looking at her contact list, the only person she could call for help now was her stepbrother. She hadn’t saved Lin Niannian’s number yet.

Please pick up!!!, Yu Qian chanted in her heart, hoping Bai Qiming’s phone wasn’t on silent.

First ring, second ring, third ring……

“Hello?”

“Brother Ming…… Please hand the phone to Niannian for a moment.” Thank heavens! Yu Qian suppressed her excitement and spoke to Bai Qiming.

Bai Qiming glanced at the screen. It was indeed Yu Qian calling, but wasn’t she at school? Why was she calling him on the phone?

He frowned slightly but still passed the phone to Lin Niannian.

Lin Niannian took it with a puzzled expression. Just as she called out “Qianqian”, Yu Qian’s urgent voice came through the speaker.

“Niannian, bring some tissues to the right-side restroom, quick! I’m trapped in here!”

“Huh???”

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!”

“Oh, okay!”

Although still confused, Lin Niannian quickly grabbed some tissues and ran to the restroom upon hearing Yu Qian’s anxious tone.

With Lin Niannian’s timely rescue, Yu Qian was finally saved.

“Qianqian, why aren’t you coming out yet?” Lin Niannian grew nervous when she heard no movement from inside.

“Ugh…… Give me a second, my legs are numb.”

Yu Qian, overwhelmed by the pins-and-needles sensation in her legs, cursed the unknown girl once again in her heart. The students at this school truly had no sense of honor!

After a while, Yu Qian regained feeling in her legs and slowly walked out of the stall.

She had only gone in to use the restroom, yet the moment she opened the door, she felt like a prisoner who had just been released from jail.

“Qianqian, why did you come to this side to use the restroom?”

Lin Niannian watched Yu Qian wash her hands, curious. This restroom was old and rarely used. Most people preferred the new one on the left.

Why else? Because Yu Qian was afraid the other one would be crowded, and she wouldn’t be able to hold it in!

Yu Qian wiped her hands with resentment.

By the time the two returned to class, as expected, they were late.

After class, Jiang Zheng managed to get the story of Yu Qian’s disappearance from Lin Niannian. He laughed so hard that tears nearly came out of his eyes.