No Longer Tasty

Lunchtime.

Yinshan Academy's cafeteria was as crowded as usual, the air filled with the rich aroma of food. Although the weather wasn't hot, the air conditioning had been turned on early due to the sheer number of people in the dining hall.

"..." Tang Keke sat at the dining table, her gaze falling on the long-haired girl beside her. Bai Yuyou still had her usual expressionless look, but the difference from normal was that the rice in the ramen bowl in front of her remained completely untouched.

She was spacing out.

Actually, Bai Yuyou often spaced out, but most of the time she was just thinking about various things, without any accompanying emotional slump.

Tang Keke had also sensed that something was off with Bai Yuyou lately. She frequently didn't eat, just lowering her eyes and dazing off as if something was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Yuyou, are you okay?" Tang Keke finally couldn't help but ask.

Bai Yuyou: "..."

The girl seemed to have no reaction. It wasn't until Tang Keke reached out and tugged her arm that Bai Yuyou seemed to wake from a dream. She raised her hand, grabbed her chopsticks, and proceeded to pinch the empty air, bringing it to her mouth and chewing carefully.

We're doomed, Yuyou seems to have lost her mind. Tang Keke looked as if she had seen a ghost. She had never in her life seen Bai Yuyou do something like picking up and eating air; it was as if she had lost her soul.

What should she do?

Left with no choice, Tang Keke pulled out her phone, intending to ask Ye Shuang what was going on. From the moment Yuyou refused a hug that morning, Keke had sensed that something was wrong between the two of them.

She even said it wasn't needed anymore.

But Keke basically stayed at Ye Shuang's house with Bai Yuyou all the time. Logically speaking, if something had really happened between them, she should have known about it.

Tang Keke looked at the contacts in her phone and sent a message to Ye Shuang.

Tang Keke: Yuyou doesn't seem to have much of an appetite today.

Tang Keke: Did something happen? Do you know, Brother?

A few seconds later, Ye Shuang replied.

Ye Shuang: Try talking to Yuyou more; she might be in a bad mood.

Ye Shuang: Sorry to trouble you.

After that, Ye Shuang didn't send any more messages. Seeing his reply, Tang Keke grew a bit suspicious. "Hmm... if Brother knew Yuyou had a bad appetite normally, he would probably ask more about it, right? There's definitely something fishy going on."

What exactly happened between them?

Tang Keke slowly put down her phone, her gaze falling back on Bai Yuyou. The next second, she asked with a grin, "Yuyou, do you not feel like eating anything here? Want me to take you out to eat something else?"

Bai Yuyou still looked listless. Perhaps due to Tang Keke's constant chattering, she finally looked over and said,

"Keke, I don't have much of an appetite."

"Alright, no appetite... then how about we go sit outside?" Tang Keke thought for a moment and said. At the very least, a change of scenery might make her feel a bit better, right?

Bai Yuyou nodded gently in silent agreement.

Tang Keke grabbed a takeout box, packed up all of Bai Yuyou's unfinished food, and then took the girl outside.

The academy park had a lovely environment. Looking out from the center of the pavilion, one could see the lake. Many students were sitting there, enjoying the scenery, chatting, and eating.

Perhaps because of Tang Keke and Bai Yuyou's appearance, many students cast their gazes over. Upon seeing it was Bai Yuyou, both boys and girls couldn't help but take a second look.

Bai Yuyou was somewhat of a celebrity at Yinshan Academy. Of course, her fame didn't come from her previous arts performances; she was famous purely for her looks.

The girl had been featured in the pinned Campus Belle thread on the school's online forum for nearly a semester. Almost every student accustomed to using the school forum had seen Bai Yuyou's photos. Initially, many girls had questioned whether the photos were photoshopped, but as more and more students posted candid shots of Bai Yuyou, those doubts gradually died down.

Facing everyone's stares, Tang Keke was used to it. She no longer cared about these things; after all, having a good figure wasn't a bad thing.

However, ever since starting their fourth year, quite a few more boys had confessed to Keke, privately asking for her contact info.

Naturally, some also came for Bai Yuyou, mostly to pry for information about her. In the end, all these so-called suitors were rejected by Keke, who refused to provide any info on the grounds that Yuyou already had a boyfriend.

...

Tang Keke looked around and finally found a decent empty spot. "Yuyou, over here."

"Okay." After Bai Yuyou sat down, she gazed at the scenery outside. It was impossible to know what she was thinking about as she turned her head and continued to space out.

"Here."

Tang Keke also handed her a bun. "Eat this first? It's your favorite meat bun."

Bai Yuyou took the meat bun, her slender fingers pinching it gently, but she still didn't eat it.

"If you're in a bad mood, just talk to me about it," Tang Keke said, sitting down beside her.

"I..."

Bai Yuyou looked at Tang Keke, then lowered her head again. "I... want to marry Ye Shuang."

"But, I can't."

"Why not? You just have to try hard!" Tang Keke waved her fist. "I'll support you. Taking down someone like my brother will be absolutely no problem."

"Ye Shuang is getting married," Bai Yuyou said softly, her fingers pressing so hard they almost sank into the bun.

"It's not me... We can't be husband and wife anymore."

Tang Keke looked at Bai Yuyou, and at that moment, she seemed to finally understand what was going on. "Brother... is getting married?"

"..."

Seeing Bai Yuyou remain silent, Tang Keke immediately comforted her. "Even if Brother is going to marry Sister Chen Qin, there's actually still a chance, you know."

"Ye Shuang didn't choose me," Bai Yuyou said. "He likes me, but it's not me."

"I..."

Bai Yuyou hung her head. She didn't understand a lot of things about romance, but at this moment, she only felt an unbearable ache in her heart.

She had been in a daze lately, her mind filled completely with Ye Shuang's apologetic gaze.

"Choosing someone else, huh..." Tang Keke scratched her head, not knowing how to comfort Bai Yuyou. She was always with Bai Yuyou and knew exactly how much she cared about Ye Shuang. After all, she couldn't go three sentences without mentioning him and always wanted to stick by his side. There was no doubt that Bai Yuyou's heart was entirely filled with Ye Shuang.

But...

"Feelings really are complicated things." Tang Keke no longer said anything about definitely winning him over, but instead continued, "Many things might seem like nothing to an outsider, but when you experience them yourself, they feel incredibly difficult."

Bai Yuyou looked at the mangled bun in her hand. Finally, she took a bite and then slowly put it down.

The bun suddenly didn't taste good anymore.

...