Chapter Fifteen: Dinner

On the first floor of the cafeteria, Lu You sat alone, scrolling through his phone. As he descended the stairs earlier, he had glanced up at the second floor and noticed that Li Yu’s class was also cleaning. So, he casually sent Li Yu a message on WeChat, asking him to come find him in the cafeteria.

Wearing headphones, Lu You was browsing music videos and some related film clips on Bilibili. Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon the celebrity gossip section, where a wildly outrageous comment shattered his worldview.

“Which man isn’t into PC? Compared to other illegal acts, it doesn’t even count.”

“Wow, damn, that’s truly outrageous!” Lu You couldn’t help but exclaim.

He quickly screenshot the comment and sent it to Li Yu.

Ly: image.jpg

Ly: What do you think?

Lu You soon received a reply.

EatMyTurtle: ?

EatMyTurtle: Does buying manga and jerking off count as PC?

Ly: ?

Ly: When did you buy it?

EatMyTurtle: Back in middle school. I went on a trip to Japan with my cousin, bought a few books I wanted to bring back, but the customs confiscated them.

Lu You almost burst out laughing.

Ly: You really are something else.

EatMyTurtle: When you’re into HS, you don’t think with your brain.

Ly: You’ve secretly done that before?

EatMyTurtle: I’m only in first year of high school, what do you think?

At that moment, Lu You recalled some incidents from middle school.

Ly: I remember someone tried to get us into that before.

EatMyTurtle: Now that you mention it, I recall saying it’d be better if you just gave me some website links.

Ly: What did I say then? Do you remember?

EatMyTurtle: Oh, you were pulled away by me, then you went home and asked your dad if he’d ever done PC, what the process was like, and whether it still counted if you didn’t pay afterward.

Lu You was stunned.

Was my original self really this wild? How come I don’t remember any of this?

Ly: ?

Ly: Was I really that outrageous?

EatMyTurtle: Your mom almost died laughing and even came to my mom to recount it.

At that moment, long-forgotten memories began to assault him.

That evening after dinner, Lu Jianyan found a lawyer friend to educate Lu You on the law and helped settle the PC kid incident.

EatMyTurtle: What were we talking about originally?

Ly: Uh, forget it. Enough about that. Have you finished cleaning?

EatMyTurtle: Waiting for someone to pack the trash. Almost done.

Ly: Then get back to it.

…

Tang Wan tossed the last scraps of paper into the trash bag, clapped her hands, and said to Li Yu, “All the trash is here now. You can take it out.”

Li Yu nodded, pocketed his phone, picked up the trash bag, and turned to leave.

Nearby, a short, thin boy wearing glasses sneered at Li Yu’s retreating back. “Spending all this time playing on your phone, what future do you have?”

Tang Wan ignored him completely, while Xu Nian rolled her eyes and said, “Are you his son? Why do you care so much about him?”

“You always have to say something, don’t you? Nobody wants to hear your opinions anyway.”

The boy scoffed, “Then why are you still here listening? I can talk to myself if I want.”

Xu Nian felt a surge of anger, ready to teach him a lesson about steel bars, but Tang Wan grabbed her wrist and said, “Let’s go. I’m hungry. Let’s eat in the cafeteria.”

Without waiting for a reply, she briskly led Xu Nian away, preferring to linger longer on the cleaning than deal with people like him.

On the way to the cafeteria, Xu Nian was still upset. “Wanwan, why did you stop me? Otherwise, I’d have roasted him alive.”

Tang Wan shook her head calmly. “No need to argue with people like that. Talking to someone whose values are completely different is like casting pearls before swine. What you say won’t register, but what they say can disgust you. Their goal is to annoy, so you can never win.”

“So people like that are invincible?”

“Arguing trolls only work if someone engages them. If you don’t respond, they’re just clowns.”

Xu Nian’s anger was soothed by Tang Wan’s words. “Fine, forget him. What should we eat later?”

“Let’s see what’s available first.”

They reached the first floor of the cafeteria.

Xu Nian grabbed Tang Wan’s arm excitedly. “Wanwan, look over there!”

Tang Wan winced and pulled her hand away. “Let go, I can’t stand your long nails.”

She looked up in the direction Xu Nian pointed.

“Never expected someone like that in school,” Xu Nian’s eyes sparkled.

Tang Wan recognized the boy on his phone and turned to Xu Nian. “Handsome, right?”

Xu Nian nodded enthusiastically. “More than handsome. I think he could be on TV. No matter the acting skills, at least he looks better than some leads in school dramas.”

Tang Wan felt inexplicably proud and said, “Let’s go say hi.”

Without waiting for a response, she strode over.

Xu Nian hurried after her, amazed. “Wanwan, you’re so bold! How will you say hi? Ask for his WeChat? But we never got our phones from the teachers, right? Forget it, just ask for his number…”

Before she finished, Tang Wan sat down opposite the boy and waved her hand in front of him.

“Long time no see, Lu You.”

Lu You looked up, surprised, then took off his headphones. “Long time no see, Tang Wan. Has your class finished cleaning?”

“I’ve done my part.”

Then he noticed a short-haired girl beside her.

“Is she your classmate?”

Tang Wan suddenly remembered Xu Nian was still there. Just as she was about to introduce them, Xu Nian spoke up.

“Hi, I’m Xu Nian. I just remembered something I have to do. You two talk; I’ll come back later.”

She nodded at Lu You and gave Tang Wan a look, signaling, “We’ll explain it back in class.”

Xu Nian turned and left.

Lu You was puzzled.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Tang Wan shook her head. “I don’t know. She saw you first.”

Lu You decided not to dwell on it and changed the subject.

“Want to grab a meal together?”

He sent a message to Li Yu while speaking, then turned off his phone screen and put it away.

Meanwhile, Li Yu had just taken out the trash to the recycling area and checked his phone.

Ly: You eat alone later. I have plans.

Li Yu frowned in confusion.

EatMyTurtle: ?

EatMyTurtle: Who with?

But the message went unanswered.

Back on the cafeteria’s first floor, the two approached the food line to queue. Many students were already there to eat.

“You stand in front of me. Show me what’s good here,” Lu You made space for Tang Wan.

Tang Wan stepped forward, recalling how he had shielded her with an umbrella during registration. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, a perfect smile lifted the corners of her mouth, and dimples appeared on both cheeks like fireworks blooming in the night sky—radiant and unexpected, catching Lu You completely off guard.

“Ahem.” Embarrassed, Lu You cleared his throat to cover his distraction. “What’s got you smiling so happily?”

Turning away, Tang Wan replied playfully, “Hmm~ guess?”

“Don’t laugh yet. I’m starting to grow now. I’m already one meter sixty in shoes. By winter break, I’ll be about your height. Then I’ll be the one holding the umbrella for you.”

“Really? But you’re not one meter sixty yet.” Suddenly, Tang Wan noticed something odd. “Wait, how do you know my height?”

“No, I just guessed,” Lu You fibbed.

He didn’t want to mention their first meeting and risk being seen as a little kid—that would be embarrassing.

Tang Wan turned back with a suspicious look. “Seems strange. You’re hiding something.”

“No, just your imagination.” Lu You quickly switched topics. “You haven’t told me what’s good to eat here yet.”

“That depends if you like spicy. If you do, there’s spicy chicken, stir-fried chili peppers, small stir-fried pork, and so on. If not, there’s garlic chicken, pan-fried tofu, and more. The menu rotates; I haven’t tried everything yet. When we get there, just take a look.”

…

Lu You picked two meat dishes and one vegetable, plus a bowl of free seaweed and egg drop soup without the egg. Tang Wan chose one meat and one vegetable.

“You’re not having soup?” Lu You asked curiously as they sat down.

Tang Wan gave him a meaningful glance. “Drink it and you’ll know why.”

Lu You took a sip and immediately frowned. “What is this?”

The taste was just the fishy flavor of seaweed, nothing else.

Tang Wan took a bite of her greens, laughing. “Feels like drinking plain water, right?”

Lu You pushed the bowl away. “I’d rather drink plain water. At least it’s not fishy. This doesn’t even have a drop of oil.”

“It’s free, so it’s like that.”

They ate mostly in silence, quietly finishing their plates.

Lu You finished first, then Tang Wan cleared her plate too.

“I’m a bit full. The portions are quite generous. Looks like your order was about the same,” Lu You rubbed his stomach, the lines from his recent workouts less defined now.

Tang Wan pulled out a tissue and handed it to him.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if secretly amused, “You’re still growing, right? Eat more to get some nutrition.”

Lu You was speechless. Until he was taller than her, this topic was never going to end.

He pretended not to hear and changed the subject. “How’s the first month of high school life going?”

Tang Wan’s expression fell. She sighed, “Don’t mention it. The classrooms and cafeteria have AC, but the walk back and forth doesn’t. At mealtime, I really want to eat but also don’t. Especially lunch—under the August sun, I feel like I’m roasting alive.”

“Physical torment aside, people are disgusting too.”

Lu You recalled Li Yu mentioning their terrible class monitor at lunch and cautiously asked, “Is it your class monitor?”

Tang Wan raised an eyebrow. “You’ve heard about him? Word spreads fast.”

Lu You smiled. “Li Yu told me. He said the guy is outrageous and knows how to make enemies.”

Tang Wan nodded in agreement. “That guy is beyond words. Not very capable but has a big ego. As temporary class monitor, he treats trivial things like important orders.”

She grew more animated. “And even though I don’t know him, he kept picking on me like a ghost. When I asked him to stop, he said I was too self-conscious and paying too much attention to him.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“Dealt with it?” Tang Wan said with satisfaction, “I teamed up with several victims and their parents to pressure the teachers. Including your friend Li Yu. The next day, the teacher talked to him. He was a bit more restrained afterward, but still annoying.”

Lu You rested his chin on his hand, pondering.

Probably Li Yu’s dad is a proud guy too. Their conflicts must be quite something.

“What are you thinking about?” Tang Wan noticed his thoughtful look.

“Nothing,” Lu You said, lowering his hand. “Just wondering what I’d do if I met someone like that.”

“Just ignore them. I see it as life’s way of toughening me up. In life, you can’t expect everyone to be nice.”

“Have you met any good people in high school?”

“Hmm, let me think.” Tang Wan played with some wisps of hair by her cheeks. “Do I count?”

Lu You narrowed his eyes, speaking in a somewhat dreamy tone. “Not to mention we met during summer break, I’m not necessarily a good person.”

Tang Wan’s face lit up with a warm, spring-like smile. “At least from what I’ve seen, you’re a good person. You don’t look at me with any naked, direct intent; you can talk to me normally, and you even send me cute kitten videos. That’s the only good person I’ve met in high school.”

“What if I have bad intentions?”

“Then I’m just blind and got tricked.”

Looking at the radiant girl before him, like a blooming peach blossom, Lu You felt a ripple in his heart.

Perhaps life’s pursuits don’t have to be only about math.

“I… will try not to make you regret it.”

Tang Wan chuckled, “What do you mean by ‘try’?”

…

After finishing the trash and wrapping up the classroom cleaning, Li Yu arrived at the cafeteria’s entrance. His eyes scanned and caught sight of Lu You chatting and laughing with a girl. Without expression, he walked toward them.