Early the next morning, Chi Wan ran into Zhou Huaijin, who was also heading out, in the elevator on her way to morning class.
Zhou Huaijin smiled and greeted her, handing her a container of breakfast. "Wanwan, have you eaten yet? I got this especially for you."
Chi Wan looked at the transparent container in his hand. The shrimp dumplings were plump and the steamed buns were neatly pleated. She couldn’t help but ask in amazement, "Senior Brother, did you make this?"
Zhou Huaijin chuckled. "I don’t have that kind of skill. The housekeeper made it. I figured you’d be leaving around the same time as me, so I brought a portion for you."
Normally, Zhou Huaijin would already be at the lab by now. But remembering Chi Wan’s schedule from summer break, he decided to time his departure carefully, thinking he might be able to run into her.
However, Chi Wan left a little earlier than he had expected—Zhou Huaijin had originally planned to wait for her downstairs.
Chi Wan grinned and accepted the breakfast. "Then I’ll happily take it!"
Zhou Huaijin said very naturally, "I usually eat alone anyway. If you ever don’t feel like eating out, just let me know."
The two of them walked to the school gate. Before they could even enter, they heard a familiar voice. "Huaijin! Junior Sister Wanwan!"
They turned to see it was Qi Jiayou, the guy they had met yesterday.
He threw an arm over Zhou Huaijin’s shoulder. "It’s rare to see you still at the school gate at this hour. Aren’t you usually more eager than anyone? And you brought breakfast?! Is that for me? You knew I wake up too late to get breakfast—Huaijin, you’re just too thoughtful!"
Zhou Huaijin wished he could sew Qi Jiayou’s mouth shut.
He looked at Chi Wan, slightly embarrassed. "Wanwan, don’t mind him. I..."
Chi Wan blinked. ’I originally thought Li Xingye disliked Zhou Huaijin just out of unreasonable jealousy, but looking at it now... Senior Brother Xiao Zhou really does seem to treat me well. Could it be? Is he actually interested in me?’
’But we haven’t even known each other that long. How could that have happened...’
Though she couldn’t figure it out, it didn’t stop her from feeling that the breakfast in her hands had suddenly become a bit of a hot potato.
Just as Qi Jiayou was about to snatch Zhou Huaijin’s own breakfast, Chi Wan seized the opportunity and thrust the container in her hands at him. "Brother Qi, you haven’t eaten either? Then you can have this. My roommate said she bought breakfast for me~"
Zhou Huaijin was stunned. Before he could say a word, she was already running off with a smile. "I’m going to be late for my morning class, so I’ll get going. Bye, Senior Brother~"
Watching Chi Wan’s retreating figure, Zhou Huaijin’s face darkened. He glanced at Qi Jiayou, who was already gleefully picking up a shrimp dumpling, and felt utterly frustrated.
Qi Jiayou looked at Zhou Huaijin’s angry expression with a face full of question marks. "Huaijin, what’s wrong with you? You look terrible. Are you sick? No wonder you’re here so late today."
With a blank expression, Zhou Huaijin picked up a soup dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth. "...Just eat!"
’There’s just no winning with you, you absolute handful!’
Qi Jiayou watched Zhou Huaijin’s gaze follow Chi Wan all the way, and realization dawned. He quickly swallowed the shrimp dumpling in his mouth. "Huaijin, you’ll never win a girl over like this. I can tell Wanwan only sees you as a senior brother."
Zhou Huaijin shot him a look, its meaning perfectly clear: ’And you can do better?’
Qi Jiayou quickly finished his breakfast, and as they walked, he draped his arm over Zhou Huaijin’s shoulder and said, "Let me tell you, a girl like Wanwan, who’s clearly very independent, won’t realize you’re pursuing her just by you hanging around..."
*
Just after she parted ways with Zhou Huaijin and the others, Li Xingye’s voice sounded. "Wanwan, you’re early today. Have you eaten?"
Chi Wan shook her head. "Not yet. I have some small buns in my space, I’ll just have those to tide me over in a bit~"
But Li Xingye disagreed. "You should have something hot in the morning. Do you... eat fish noodle soup?"
"Fish noodle soup?!" Chi Wan was genuinely surprised. "Are your breakfasts really that luxurious now?"
Li Xingye smiled. "Thanks to Sister Duan. We found a few factories before, and she and Lin Wei repaired all the machinery. Now ordinary people and low-level superpower users have more jobs to earn points.
"The food grown in the spatial soil not only covers the entire base’s needs now, but we also have a surplus to sell to other bases. It’s not just breakfast shops; many different types of stores have opened up in the base. Everyone’s really motivated."
Just hearing Li Xingye’s description, Chi Wan could feel the thriving atmosphere in the base, and she felt happy for them.
There was still some time before class, so the classroom wasn’t full yet.
Chi Wan secretly took out the breakfast Li Xingye had prepared for her in a corner.
The fish came from the space, and the broth had a natural, fresh sweetness. The rice noodles were also made from rice grown in the spatial soil. The fine, smooth noodles had soaked up the broth perfectly, carrying a hint of spice. One bite sent a heavenly aroma straight to her senses.
"Wanwan, where did you buy this breakfast? It smells amazing!"
The overpowering fragrance attracted a few classmates who were friendly with Chi Wan. The way university students share food tips is always so simple and direct. "When did our school get a fish noodle soup shop? Quick, give me the address, I want to try it tomorrow too."
Chi Wan: ’...I got careless.’
She smiled sheepishly. "My family’s housekeeper prepared this."
Because of Zhou Huaijin’s post from before, everyone basically knew that Chi Wan’s family was well-off, so no one thought it was strange for her to live off-campus and have a housekeeper.
One of them could only shout in mock despair, "I’m going to fight you rich people!"
Meanwhile, as soon as Wen Jing and the others entered the classroom, they immediately squeezed into the seats next to Chi Wan, their faces full of gossipy smiles. "Wanwan, what was the deal with Senior Brother Zhou yesterday?!"
Yu Chuxue and the others had come with her, they just weren’t as fast as Wen Jing.
But upon hearing this, they also immediately surrounded Chi Wan, trying to "interrogate" her.
Chi Wan unhurriedly wiped her mouth. "Don’t rush me, don’t rush me. Let me wash my bowl first."
She slipped out of the classroom, rinsed the bowl clean, and tossed it directly into her space. Then she returned to her seat just as the bell for class rang.
Wen Jing and her friends wanted to ask more, but the professor had already walked in. The studious girls could only give up for now and wait until after class to grill Chi Wan.
When class finally ended, on the way to the cafeteria, Chi Wan didn’t wait for them to ask. She confessed proactively, "You all saw that post, right? The only reason I know Senior Brother Zhou is because he wants to rent the mountain my family owns. That’s all there is to it."
But no one believed her. "Judging by Senior Brother Zhou’s attitude, it doesn’t seem like you two just ’know’ each other."
Chi Wan thought for a moment, then decided to just come out with it. "I’ll tell you guys a secret... I have a boyfriend."
The other three: ?!!
𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Qi Youyou’s eyes went wide. "Wanwan, are you serious? How come you’ve never mentioned it?"
Chi Wan nodded and said with a straight face, "Would I lie about something like this? We just made it official yesterday. Fate can be sudden like that. But we’re in a long-distance relationship right now, and he’s a little insecure, so..."
Before she could finish, their path was blocked. "Chi Wan, could I have a word with you alone?"