What happened last night

The bell for the last morning class rang.

Class 3 of the seventh grade, previously half-dead from math class, instantly sprang back to life.

The boys swarmed out, terrified that if they were even a second late, there wouldn't be any food left in the cafeteria.

Chen Zhi slowly packed up his textbooks.

He stuffed his English book into his desk and was just about to stand up when a pretty figure blocked his way.

Lin Wanwan stood with her hands behind her back, her chin slightly raised. Her charming almond eyes sparkled with a certain gleam that could only be described as looking for trouble.

"Here."

She held out her hand, offering a perfectly peeled red pomelo, with even the white pith meticulously removed.

The translucent pomelo segments had been carefully broken into bite-sized pieces and placed in a clear plastic container.

With her other hand, she slammed a carton of milk onto Chen Zhi's desk with a loud smack.

It wasn't a small commotion.

The surrounding classmates who hadn't yet rushed out of the room all turned to look.

"What's this?" Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow, his gaze darting between the pomelo and the milk. "Flattery for no reason usually means you're up to no good."

"What are you talking about!"

Lin Wanwan glared at him, then deliberately raised her crisp voice so that everyone around them could hear clearly.

"This is a return gift."

She deliberately emphasized the words.

"Thank you for the plain noodles you cooked last night. They were delicious, and I really loved them."

After saying this, she shot a provocative glance at Pei Ningxue, who was sitting next to Chen Zhi.

The meaning in her eyes was obvious:

As long as the queen is alive, the rest of you will only ever be concubines.

Chen Zhi found it somewhat amusing.

Just as he was about to reach for the container of pomelo, Pei Ningxue, who had been completely still beside him, suddenly moved.

The usually aloof and wealthy young lady slowly pulled an object wrapped in navy blue cloth from her backpack.

She untied the knot.

Revealing an exquisite, double-tiered lacquerware bento box inside.

Black with gold patterns—just looking at the gloss of the lacquer was enough to tell that this thing was worth a fortune.

Pei Ningxue kept her eyes straight ahead. Her slender fingers pressed against the lid of the bento box, giving it a gentle push.

The bento box slid across the desk, stopping perfectly right next to Lin Wanwan's carton of Wangzai milk.

The two opposing forces had successfully convened on Chen Zhi's clean and tidy desk.

The air suddenly fell silent.

It was as if a mute button had been pressed on the previously noisy classroom.

The eyes of the few boys who hadn't left yet practically bulged out of their heads. Their gazes darted wildly among Lin Wanwan, Pei Ningxue, and Chen Zhi, the fires of gossip burning fiercely.

Watching this scene, the packet of crispy snack noodles in Li Jiahao's hand let out a sharp crunch.

It had been crushed.

Pei Ningxue seemed completely oblivious to the bizarre atmosphere around her.

As she packed up her books, she said in a casual, indifferent tone:

"Thank you for keeping me company last night."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and cold, like jade beads dropping onto a plate.

"The maid at home made too much. I don't like Japanese food, and it would be a pity to throw it away, so please help me dispose of it."

What kind of lame excuse was that?

Would a maid working for a top-tier wealthy family like the Peis make a rookie mistake like making too much?

And since when did she not like Japanese food?

Lin Wanwan instantly bristled like an angry cat.

She stared at the expensive-looking bento box, her cheeks puffing out.

"Chen Zhi doesn't like eating this kind of stuff!"

Lin Wanwan gritted her teeth, trying to reject it on Chen Zhi's behalf. "Plus, he doesn't like eating leftovers."

"Oh?"

Pei Ningxue finally looked up.

She didn't even glance at Lin Wanwan. Instead, she just stared quietly at Chen Zhi. There was no emotion in her beautiful eyes, yet they inexplicably gave off an imposing sense of pressure.

"Do you not like it?"

In the back, Li Jiahao was watching this, grinding his teeth so hard they were about to shatter.

Why did this guy Chen Zhi get to have a girl on each arm?

His childhood friend peeled pomelos and brought him milk, while the aloof school beauty gave him a homemade bento.

Was this the disparity of the world?

Some die of thirst while others drown.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Zhi, waiting to see how he would crash and burn.

In this kind of situation, choosing one would inevitably offend the other.

Chen Zhi was starting to sweat bullets.

He first reached out and, with extreme naturalness, ruffled Lin Wanwan's fluffy hair, messing up her carefully combed bangs.

"Perfect timing."

Chen Zhi picked up the container of pomelo and weighed it in his hand. "Just eating pomelo won't fill me up."

Having her head rubbed had drained Lin Wanwan's anger. Just as she was about to swat his hand away, she saw Chen Zhi's other hand press down on the bento box.

"Thanks, desk-mate."

Chen Zhi grinned at Pei Ningxue, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "It just so happens I skipped breakfast to rush my homework, and now I'm hungry enough to eat a cow. I trust your maid's cooking skills; it's definitely better than the slop at the cafeteria."

After saying that.

He grabbed the bento box with one hand and placed the other on Lin Wanwan's back, pushing her toward the classroom door.

"Let's go, let's go, to the cafeteria."

"There's definitely a lot of food in this bento. I'll treat you to a cola."

Lin Wanwan stumbled forward a couple of steps from his push.

She glanced back at Pei Ningxue, then at the bento in Chen Zhi's hand, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Since Chen Zhi was treating...

And she could eat the food given by her rival...

This was a win.

"I want Pepsi!" Lin Wanwan demanded.

"No way, Coca-Cola is the only true cola."

"Pepsi is!"

The two of them walked out of the classroom, bickering and joking around.

Leaving behind a floor full of shattered glass hearts and a crowd of onlookers with complicated expressions.

Pei Ningxue watched their retreating backs, the tight line of her lips relaxing just a fraction.

She lowered her eyes and continued packing up.

However, a faint, almost imperceptible blush crept up the tips of her ears.

...

The cafeteria at noon was a cacophony of voices.

The clattering of stainless steel lunch trays, the shouting of the cafeteria ladies, and the chatting and laughing of the students all intertwined.

At a dining table in the corner.

Chen Zhi's table looked entirely out of place.

While everyone else had wilted cabbage in their stainless steel trays.

In front of Chen Zhi sat that black and gold double-tiered lacquer bento box.

The lid was lifted.

The gazes from the surrounding tables were instantly drawn over.

The first tier was packed to the brim with grilled unagi.

The sauce was rich, the color a bright, appetizing red. Every piece of eel was surprisingly plump, sprinkled with vibrant green seaweed flakes and golden sesame seeds.

The second tier contained exquisite shrimp tempura, tamagoyaki, and a few refreshing pickled side dishes.

"Wow..."

Lin Wanwan let out a gasp of awe, like someone who had never seen the world.

The stainless steel spoon in her hand paused in mid-air. She looked at the shredded pork with green peppers on her own tray, and then at the box of eel rice.

Suddenly, her own food didn't seem appetizing anymore.

"Eat up."

Chen Zhi generously pushed the tier full of eel in front of Lin Wanwan.

"I can't finish all of this anyway. Help me out."

Lin Wanwan looked at him warily. "Aren't you afraid Pei Ningxue will get mad? She brought this specifically for you."

"What are you thinking?"

Chen Zhi picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of tamagoyaki, and stuffed it into his mouth. He mumbled indistinctly, "She said her family made too much and asked me to help dispose of it. How I dispose of it is my business. Besides, good things should be shared, right?"

Lin Wanwan curled her lip.

Although her mouth expressed disdain, her body was honest.

She unceremoniously picked up the biggest piece of eel and shoved it into her mouth.

Soft, tender, and rich—the sauce exploded on the tip of her tongue.

Lin Wanwan narrowed her eyes in bliss.

"So good!"

With food stuffed in her mouth and her cheeks bulging, she mumbled, "Is this the taste of money? Ah, the evils of capitalism."

Chen Zhi looked at her carefree appearance and couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

"Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it."

He poked a straw into the carton of Wangzai milk and pushed it toward her hand.

Lin Wanwan took a sip of milk, swallowed the food in her mouth, and suddenly remembered something. Her big eyes instantly turned sharp.

"Wait a minute."

She put down her chopsticks, stared at Chen Zhi, and put on an interrogator's stance.

"What exactly happened last night?"

"What do you mean you kept her company last night? What exactly did you two do?"

Chen Zhi had long expected this.

Unhurriedly, he picked up a piece of shrimp tempura and took a bite. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"We just had dinner last night, and I came back right after."

Chen Zhi spoke in a flat tone, downplaying the details. "After dinner, I was even left behind. It was so hard to catch a cab; I almost couldn't make it back."

The two of them joked and messed around in the corner, sharing the expensive bento.

The jealous and envious gazes from around them seemed to be blocked out by an invisible barrier.

The lunch break passed quickly.

Chen Zhi took the completely clean bento box to the sink.

The dish soap bubbles washed over the lacquerware surface.

He washed it carefully twice to ensure not a single trace of grease remained, then wiped it dry with a paper towel.

This thing was expensive.

He didn't want to spend unnecessary money to replace it.

By the time he returned to the classroom, most of the students were already sleeping on their desks.

The curtains were drawn, making the room dim, with only the whirring sound of the ceiling fans turning overhead.

Pei Ningxue was not in her seat.

Chen Zhi gently placed the bento box on the corner of her desk, then laid his head on his own desk, ready to catch up on some sleep.

Just as Chen Zhi was groggy and about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

"Chen Zhi, Chen Zhi, wake up. Sister Qian wants you and Lin Wanwan to go to the office."