Peach Blossoms in Full Bloom

At lunchtime, the freshmen who had been enduring military training all morning rushed toward the cafeteria like a herd of frenzied piglets, each one faster than the last, terrified they might miss out on food.

As for Lin Yu and his trio of friends...

Their condition was even worse than the others!

Each of them carried a tray piled high with food, found a seat, and immediately buried their faces in their meals.

Too hungry to care about taste, they just needed to stuff something into their stomachs first!

Lang Hua shoveled food into his mouth with one hand while scrolling on his phone with the other. His eyes were glued to the screen when suddenly, he perked up, excitedly trying to say something—but his mouth was too full, so all that came out were muffled noises.

The other three glanced at him curiously, wondering what nonsense he was spouting now.

Seeing their confusion, Lang Hua hurriedly swallowed his food and waved his phone excitedly.

"I found out who that beauty who smiled at me this morning is!"

"Bullshit!"

"She was clearly smiling at me!" Lv Pengju shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Tch." Wu Zhen sneered, shaking his head with a mocking tone.

"Two narcissists."

"Pathetic."

"Honestly, all three of you are pretty pathetic." Lin Yu couldn’t help but mutter.

Ignoring their bickering, Lang Hua continued,

"Her name is Tao Yaoyao. She’s a junior, majoring in finance. Rumor has it she’s never been in a relationship since freshman year, though some say she’s a lesbian—but that’s unconfirmed."

"Where’d you even get this info?"

Lv Pengju stood up from beside Lin Yu, bending over the table with his rear sticking out, trying to get a better look at Lang Hua’s phone.

Lang Hua didn’t hide anything, openly showing the screen.

"It’s the campus babe group. I just pulled some strings to get in during break."

"Huh? You need connections just to join that?"

Lv Pengju’s jaw practically dropped.

"Of course." Lang Hua shook his head smugly.

"You think just anyone can get in? If you don’t have connections, you’d have to fork over at least twenty bucks!"

"Wait, no." He suddenly corrected himself.

"It’s more like the ‘Campus Babe Database Group.’ The actual babes aren’t in it."

"Show me if there are any other hotties!"

The moment he heard there were more, Lv Pengju abandoned his food entirely, scurrying over to Lang Hua’s side and squinting at the screen like his life depended on it.

Even Wu Zhen, sitting beside Lang Hua, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on, staring intently at the so-called babe database.

Lin Yu rolled his eyes, utterly unimpressed by their desperate antics.

But then again, if he didn’t already have his "Jiejie," he’d probably be right there with them, eyes wide and glued to the screen—just as shameless.

Ah well. Men will be men.

While the three huddled around the phone, whispering and pointing, Lin Yu stayed planted in his seat, focused solely on eating.

Just as he was happily stuffing his face, a sweet, delicate fragrance—definitely not from the cafeteria food—wafted past his nose.

Curious, he looked up and saw a group of stunning girls walking past behind him, settling into the seats beside and across from him.

A figure in flowing white finally stopped at the empty spot next to him. She tucked a few loose strands of jet-black hair behind her ear, bent slightly, tilted her head, and gave Lin Yu a soft, gentle smile.

"Hello, classmate. May I sit here?"

Lin Yu frowned slightly at the breathtaking beauty in the white dress—none other than Tao Yaoyao, the same girl who had passed by their military training earlier.

Why was she approaching him again?

Something about her felt oddly familiar, putting him on high alert. After a brief glance, he looked away and replied indifferently,

"No one’s sitting there."

Translation: Do whatever you want. Don’t ask me.

"Thank you."

Either oblivious to his cold tone or choosing to ignore it, she smiled warmly and took the seat beside him.

Lin Yu returned to his food.

As for the three idiots across from him? They were the living embodiment of "all bark, no bite."

Earlier, they’d been fighting over who the campus belle had smiled at, bragging and gawking at her photos. But now that she was right in front of them?

They turned into meek little chicks, heads bowed, silently eating, only daring to sneak glances at her.

Pathetic.

Lin Yu kept eating, but soon, something felt off.

Like someone was staring at him.

Following his instincts, he lifted his gaze—and locked eyes with a stunning woman sitting diagonally across from Tao Yaoyao.

She had striking, fiery red curls, bold and vibrant, exuding confidence and allure.

Normally, such an extreme hair color was hard to pull off.

It was like wielding a cursed blade—if you weren’t flawless, it would only magnify every flaw in your skin, every imperfection in your features, making you look garish and awkward.

But if you were beautiful enough?

That unconventional color became your greatest weapon, setting you apart from the crowd.

This woman was clearly the latter.

Gorgeous enough to not just handle the demanding shade but to elevate it, her presence unforgettable.

Yet, for some reason, the look she was giving Lin Yu made zero sense.

Her eyes, which should’ve been alluring, were icy—filled with hatred, even a hint of jealousy.

Like he’d personally wronged her in some unforgivable way.

Lin Yu was baffled.

Why is she looking at me like that?

Do I even know her?

What’s her problem?

After a brief staring contest, he ignored her and went back to eating.

When he looked up again later, the group of beauties had already left.

Only then did he realize—they hadn’t even gotten food.

They’d just... sat down for a bit.

Or maybe come to see... something?