"..."
Ye Qingli was inexplicably put down, her face flushed, and she felt a bit angry. But she still didn't say anything, turned around, and pulled her suitcase off the train.
Later, she took a taxi back to school.
As soon as she entered the dormitory, Ye Qingli was exhausted. She collapsed onto her bed, examined the red marks on her hands from carrying the luggage, then called Zhang Luan to report that she was safe.
Knowing that she must have a lot to do after returning to school, Zhang Luan just told her to eat well and quickly hung up.
Ye Qingli put away her phone and started making her bed.
"Qingqing, let's go eat after you finish tidying up. I didn't eat in the morning because I was rushing to catch the bus, and I didn't eat much at noon because of motion sickness. I'm a bit hungry now."
The person speaking was a girl from the opposite bed named Xu Yan. Her family lived in a remote mountain village, and at the beginning of freshman year, Ye Qingli heard her say that there was only one bus from her village to the county town every day, so coming back was a big hassle.
Ye Qingli smiled: "Okay, what about Zhang Yan and Jiang Mo?"
She noticed that their beds were already made when she came in, but she hadn't seen them yet.
Xu Yan looked at her phone and saw that Zhang Yan had sent a message saying they had already reserved a seat at a hotpot restaurant. She looked up and said: "They've already gone to the restaurant. They were afraid that if we went too late, there wouldn't be any seats."
Ye Qingli nodded. She guessed it was the same hotpot place they went to when they first met. The food was authentic and cheap, but the shop was run by an old couple who didn't understand food delivery apps, so they never used them. The food was good, so they didn't lack customers, and online ordering didn't affect them much.
"Okay, I'll try to finish up quickly."
Back when she lived with her grandma, Ye Qingli used to help put the duvet covers on. Over time, she became skilled at it and finished in no time.
She patted her hands, took her student ID card out of her suitcase—using it would give her a discount on the bill.
It was her turn to treat this time.
...
They chose a good spot by the window, so they could open the window for ventilation if it got too hot.
Xu Yan and Ye Qingli entered one after another and sat down. Jiang Mo smiled and pushed the menu over: "We've already ordered. See if there's anything we missed."
Xu Yan wasn't picky and could eat anything, so she moved the menu a bit toward Ye Qingli. Everyone knew she was a picky eater. Xu Yan rested her chin on her hand and said: "Qingqing, take a look. Order whatever you like."
Ye Qingli was wiping the table with a wet tissue. She looked up, added a serving of vermicelli and a few glasses of sparkling water.
While waiting, they chatted a bit, talking about what they did during the National Day holiday. Xu Yan said her hands still hurt from helping her family shell corn, as if she had been beaten.
The other three laughed. Jiang Mo paused and asked Ye Qingli: "By the way, I heard the Youth Association has an event at the end of the month. Qingqing, do you know what it's about?"
Among the four, only Ye Qingli had joined the Youth Volunteer Association.
Ye Qingli nodded: "The minister said it's about helping elderly people living alone, but I don't know the specific location yet."
Zhang Yan rested her chin on her hand and sighed: "Ah, I regret not joining the Youth Association with you to volunteer. Our club is full of annoying stuff. During the holiday, my phone kept buzzing with messages. I really regret it."
"Who told us to focus only on getting credits? Oh well, just muddle through." Xu Yan said. She comforted others, but she wasn't much better off herself.
Just then, a group of boys passed by outside the window. They were arm in arm, joking around, most of them holding cigarettes and occasionally uttering crude remarks.
The four of them were unconsciously attracted by the sight. Ye Qingli immediately spotted Xiao Yu among them.
He was walking in the middle, tall and slender. Unlike the outfit he had worn in the afternoon, he was now wearing a plaid shirt with a cross necklace hanging around his neck.
She had heard that the cross had four meanings: religious faith, love and commitment, spiritual protection, and fashion expression.
No matter which one, Ye Qingli didn't think it was about love and commitment.
After all, that was too exaggerated.
...
There were about eight or nine people. When they all squeezed in, the shop suddenly became much livelier, with loud voices and sounds of lamentation.
Xiao Yu stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching the commotion. It was then that he noticed Ye Qingli sitting there.
She also raised her small, palm-sized face to look at him. The room was stuffy, making her cheeks slightly red. Her eyeliner was drawn in a downward curve, and her eyes were as clear as grapes, making her look very gentle.
Xiao Yu only looked at her for two seconds before shifting his gaze away. He curled his lips, an expression that was hard to read.
Ye Qingli frowned slightly.
They were led by a waiter to a table at the lower right corner of theirs. It was a large table, and after they sat down, there was still an extra chair.
Zhang Yan turned back, a look of disgust on her face.
She questioned: "Tell me, if guys like them become teachers in the future, can they be reliable?"
Jiang Mo raised her index finger to her lips, signaling her to lower her voice: "Oh, don't worry about that. They don't smoke at school."
"It's not about smoking or not. Listen to what they say—it's unbearable."
She sneaked another look at their table: "The only decent thing is their looks."
"Who are you referring to? Xiao Yu? I think he's quite upright too."
Ye Qingli was drinking sparkling water. When she heard that, she choked, her face turning red up to her ears.
"Qingqing, why are you drinking so fast?"
Ye Qingli waved her hand, pulled a tissue from the box, and wiped her mouth.
What kind of eyes did Xu Yan have?