The New Window at the Cafeteria

“Hard to say.”

The moment Su Bai finished speaking, Chen Yusheng couldn’t help pressing her lips together.

Xue Tao was the kind of guy whose mouth always made the loudest promises. He’d even stuck a note on his desk that read “Work my ass off.” But whether he could actually stick with it was anyone’s guess.

Leaning back in his chair, Chu Mingzhe shook his head and sighed.

“This time, I’m betting Taozi’s enthusiasm lasts three minutes.”

“Bullshit!”

Xue Tao snapped his textbook shut, his face full of indignation.

“I’m serious this time! Huang Ran and I already agreed that I have to bring my grades way up this semester!”

Wang Haoran pushed up his glasses.

“Get through the first class before you start talking.”

“What, you look down on me?”

Xue Tao immediately rose to the challenge.

“I’m not even going back to the dorm to play games at noon. I’m going straight to the cafeteria for lunch, then I’ll keep studying!”

Chu Mingzhe looked astonished.

“Wow. Eating in the cafeteria counts as part of your study plan now?”

“What would you know? A regular schedule is also part of studying.”

“Fine, fine. You’re always right.”

As the group bickered, their instructor entered the classroom with a textbook in his arms.

Xue Tao quickly straightened his book, sat up ramrod straight, and put on a genuinely determined look.

Su Bai found it amusing, but didn’t tease him any further.

The class passed quickly.

The moment the bell rang, the previously quiet classroom erupted into noise.

Some students rushed out with their books, others lowered their heads to check their phones, and a few had already started discussing what to eat for lunch.

Chu Mingzhe stretched lazily and turned to ask, “Brother Bai, where are we going for lunch? That barbecue-rice place outside the school?”

“No.”

Su Bai packed up his laptop and turned to Chen Yusheng.

“I heard the cafeteria opened several new food stalls today. Let’s go take a look.”

Chen Yusheng had been organizing her notes with her head down. At that, she looked up.

“New stalls?”

“Someone mentioned it in the class group chat.” Su Bai waved his phone. “The space on the second floor that used to be empty has been renovated and reopened today. Apparently, they’ve added several new cuisines.”

Chen Yusheng immediately showed a bit of interest.

Whenever spicy, fragrant, strongly flavored food was involved, she could always eat more than usual.

“Do they have anything spicy?”

“They do.” Su Bai smiled. “There’s a Sichuan stall, a teppanyaki stall, and a clay-pot stall.”

Chen Yusheng’s eyes lit up.

“Then let’s go have a look.”

…

At noon, the two of them left the classroom building and followed the tree-lined path toward the cafeteria.

It was the first day back after the break, and the campus was packed.

Students who had just finished class streamed in from every direction, making the road to the cafeteria especially lively. Some hurried along with their books in their arms, others messaged their roommates to claim seats, and a few couples strolled along at the back, looking as though they weren’t in any hurry to eat at all.

Chen Yusheng walked beside Su Bai.

She was wearing a simple white knit sweater, along with her familiar black stockings and short skirt. The sunlight made her long legs particularly eye-catching.

Several male students passing by couldn’t help taking a second look.

But the moment their gazes landed on Su Bai, they silently looked away.

He stood six feet one, with broad shoulders and a relaxed, unhurried air.

Besides, everyone at school knew about Su Bai and Chen Yusheng’s relationship.

One was the famously aloof top student from the Computer Science Department.

The other was a mysterious tycoon who drove a luxury car to school and was never short of beautiful women by his side.

Standing together, the two of them made outsiders feel they didn’t even have the courage to strike up a conversation.

“There are so many people.”

Chen Yusheng glanced ahead. A line had already formed outside the cafeteria.

“The new stalls just opened, so everyone wants to try them.”

Su Bai wasn’t bothered.

“Perfect. We can see what everyone thinks.”

“You’re really planning to conduct a serious inspection?”

“Food is the first necessity of life.”

Su Bai spoke with a perfectly straight face.

“If the school cafeteria starts making good food, you’ll have somewhere to eat at noon even when you don’t feel like going back to the club.”

Chen Yusheng turned her head toward him.

“I’m not that fussy normally.”

“I know.”

Su Bai smiled.

“But you don’t have to be fussy. I do have to care about these things.”

Chen Yusheng’s ears grew slightly warm, but she still refused to let him have the last word.

“Su Bai, you’re getting more and more cheesy.”

“That was cheesy?”

“You never used to talk like that.”

“I did. I just never had the chance to say it.”

“Who’d believe you?”

As they chatted, the two entered the cafeteria.

The first floor looked just as it always had: fried rice, rice bowls, malatang, and noodle stalls, all packed with people.

The second floor, however, was clearly different.

The old stalls along the window had been completely renovated. Their new signs were eye-catching, and plenty of students had gathered in front of them.

The teppanyaki stall hissed and sizzled as beef and onions tumbled across the hot griddle, their aroma drifting out over the crowd.

At the clay-pot stall, the lid had just been lifted, sending clouds of white steam billowing upward. The broth inside bubbled vigorously, smelling rich and spicy.

The most exaggerated of all was the Sichuan stall.

The aromas of chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, chilies, and garlic mingled together. You could smell them the moment you entered the second floor.

Chen Yusheng slowed to a stop.

Her normally expressionless little face rarely showed much emotion, but now it revealed a clear hint of anticipation.

“Smells decent.”

Su Bai laughed.

“Just decent?”

“I’ll decide after I taste it.”

“Fine, Teacher Chen. You have high standards.”

The moment they reached the new stalls, they realized the lines were even longer than expected.

The line at the Sichuan stall was especially outrageous, stretching from the counter all the way into the corridor.

Several male students stood at the very back, craning their necks to see ahead.

“How long do you think this’ll take?”

“At least twenty minutes.”

“I should’ve skipped the first class. If I’d come earlier, I could’ve gotten in line ahead of everyone.”

“They started selling at ten-thirty. Even if you skipped class, you might not have gotten a spot.”

Nearby, a girl holding a tray looked deeply conflicted.

“Should I get the teppanyaki beef or the Sichuan-style stir-fry? They both look so good.”

“I just saw someone carrying a plate of spicy pork stir-fry. It had a ton of chilies.”

“Then I’m getting in line for the Sichuan food.”

“You go ahead. I’m going to check out the clay-pot stall.”

Chen Yusheng looked at the long line and lightly furrowed her brow.

It wasn’t that she lacked patience.

She had simply had two classes in a row that morning, and she was genuinely hungry.

Su Bai looked around and was just about to take her somewhere to find a seat when a delighted female voice suddenly came from behind them.

“Su Bai?”

Su Bai turned around.

A girl with twin ponytails, wearing a sweatshirt from the anime club, stood not far away with a tray in her hands.

She froze for a moment. Then she hurried over.

“It really is you! I thought I was seeing things.”

Chen Yusheng recognized her.

She was a senior from the anime club.

Chen Yusheng had met her several times at the anime club’s convention the previous semester. She was always extremely active in the club group chat and particularly enthusiastic about organizing events—a lively, energetic person who seemed to bring excitement wherever she went.

“Senior.”

Su Bai greeted her with a smile.

“You’re here for lunch too?”

“Yeah.” The senior glanced at the lines ahead and immediately understood. “You two came for the new stalls, right?”

“We heard they had new dishes, so we came to try them.”

“Then you picked a bad time.” The senior pointed toward the Sichuan stall. “These stalls have been packed since this morning. The Sichuan one is the worst—the line is almost all the way to the staircase.”

Chen Yusheng looked at the line and let out a soft sigh.

“It really is pretty ridiculous.”

The anime club senior immediately smiled.

“What’s the big deal? Su Bai, you two don’t have to wait in line. Go find a seat.”

Su Bai raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“I’ll wait in line for you.”

The senior said it as naturally as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What do you want to eat? Sichuan cuisine, teppanyaki, clay-pot dishes—anything’s fine. I don’t have class today, so I’ve got plenty of time.”

Chen Yusheng hesitated.

“That doesn’t feel right.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

The senior waved it off, then lowered her voice, gratitude evident in her tone.

“Su Bai has invested so much money in our anime club. The convention venues, the activity funding, the sponsorship deals—we wouldn’t have gotten any of that off the ground without him.”

“Waiting in line for you is nothing.”