A Love Rival at the Cafeteria, Her Nemesis Goes Mad with Jealousy

This morning, Lu Xiaoxiao had an eight o'clock speaking class. Just as she was about to head to the classroom on the third floor, a low, magnetic, lazy voice sounded behind her. "Don't want your self-criticisms anymore?"

She turned at the sound, her nose nearly bumping into the young man's solid chest.

Lu Xiaoxiao took half a step back before looking up. Shao Enci was looking down at her, a faint smile in his phoenix eyes and the lazy weariness of someone who had only just woken up in their depths. "I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to throw yourself into my arms."

Lu Xiaoxiao looked away from his face and down at the sheets of paper in his hand.

The handwriting was neat, every line perfectly straight, identical to her own.

She reached for them, but Shao Enci lifted his arm higher, lazily keeping them out of reach.

"Shao Enci, what's your problem?" There was a hint of urgency in her voice, but to his ears, her soft tone sounded like she was acting coquettish.

Shao Enci raised a brow lazily and lowered his voice. "I wrote two two-thousand-character self-criticisms and stayed up until three in the morning. Aren't you going to reward me?"

Lu Xiaoxiao rose on tiptoe, stretched out her arm, and snatched the self-criticisms from him. She looked down and flipped through two pages, the tension in her expression finally easing, a hint of undisguised satisfaction at the corners of her lips:

"You're a rich young master. You lack for nothing and can have whatever you want. Do you really need a reward from a poor girl like me?"

"I do." Shao Enci bent down, his handsome face suddenly drawing close. His dark eyes stared straight into hers, and he gave a low chuckle. "What I need is a girlfriend like you."

Under the gaze of those eyes so close to hers, Lu Xiaoxiao's lashes fluttered twice. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she took two steps back, her gaze darting somewhere beyond his shoulder. "There are so many people at school. Aren't you afraid they'll wag their tongues?"

Before she had even finished speaking, she had turned and hurried away, walking much faster than usual.

037's voice rang out in her mind right on schedule: [Task 27: Go to the school cafeteria and feed your nemesis in public. Time remaining: 3 hours, 59 minutes.]

Lu Xiaoxiao's feet halted at the words, and she nearly missed a step on the stairs. After steadying herself, she continued on as though nothing had happened.

Shao Enci stood where he was, watching her retreat in a hurry. His lips curved, and he calmly looked away, his voice slow and leisurely. "Slow down. It's not like I'm going to chase after you."

After speaking class, Lu Xiaoxiao walked into the study room with her books in her arms. She sat down, took out her phone, and messaged Shao Enci: [I heard the school cafeteria has a new auntie who's a good cook. Want to have lunch together?]

A reply came a minute later: [Is the cafeteria food even edible?]

Lu Xiaoxiao looked down at the message and thought for a moment before patiently typing: [How do you know it doesn't taste good if you don't try it?]

This time, Shao Enci replied quickly: [Beg me, and I'll go with you.]

Lu Xiaoxiao knew when to bend and when to stand tall. She sent him a sticker without hesitation.

[[I'm begging you.jpg]]

In the lab, Shao Enci looked down at the girl's cutesy sticker on his phone screen and lifted his chin, a smile spreading from the corners of his eyes.

He didn't notice when another head appeared behind him.

Xie Yihui was craning his neck to look at his screen, and his eyes landed on the chat background: a girl standing beneath the sunset glow, her smile bright as spring.

"Well, well, well," Xie Yihui drawled, his eyes full of teasing amusement. "Being in a relationship really is different. You even changed your chat background to her photo."

Shao Enci reacted at once, flipping his phone face down on the table. He turned his head and gave him a cool glance. "If you have that much time on your hands, you'd be better off spending it on other girls. Then you might not still be single."

Xie Yihui took the jab in stride. Drooping his eyelids, he rested a hand on Shao Enci's shoulder. "If you'd applied to study abroad, I wouldn't have such bad luck with romance."

As the two were talking, someone walked in through the door. It was He Jiran, who had been on leave for the past few days.

The moment Shao Enci saw him, the smile on his face quietly faded.

Xie Yihui, oblivious, had already gone over to greet him enthusiastically. "Senior He, what happened? Why did you take so many days off in a row?"

He Jiran looked noticeably more haggard than he had before he left, with dark circles beneath his eyes. He forced a slight smile. "It's nothing. I just had something to take care of at home."

Xie Yihui leaned close to his ear and lowered his voice as though sharing a secret. "You weren't here, so you don't know. Shao Enci has a girlfriend now. It's Lu Xiaoxiao, the one who went to the same high school as you."

The moment he finished, He Jiran's eyes flickered, and he swayed on unsteady feet.

Xie Yihui hurriedly reached out to steady him. "Senior He, have you not been eating enough these past few days? Why do you look so weak? You'd better eat up and build your strength, or you might have trouble finding a partner."

Standing a few steps away, Shao Enci took in the shattered sorrow in He Jiran's eyes. He said nothing, understanding perfectly well.

After the last class before lunch, Lu Xiaoxiao appeared at the cafeteria entrance right on time.

Shao Enci was dressed in black, setting off his fair, cool-toned skin. His three-stripe Adidas T-shirt looked crisp and neat, while his textured fringe was tousled and unruly, giving him an easy, languid air.

The moment he walked through the cafeteria entrance, people at several nearby tables all turned to look at him.

"Campus heartthrob Shao actually came to eat at the cafeteria!"

"It's my first time seeing him this close... Damn, he's so handsome."

"Those long legs of his are going to be the death of me."

Standing by the food counter, Lu Xiaoxiao heard every word.

Honestly, this guy is the center of attention wherever he goes.

She really didn't want a crowd watching and talking about her.

Lu Xiaoxiao quietly tried to edge half a step away, but a long, strong arm suddenly reached over from beside her.

Shao Enci slipped an arm lightly around her shoulders and drew her back to his side.

He tilted his head slightly, looking down at her with a raised brow, his tone casual. "There are so many dishes. What do you want?"

With him holding her like that, Lu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to point at the counter. "Auntie, I'd like this braised eggplant and the braised pork ribs. Yes, and that sweet-and-sour hairtail too."

Shao Enci turned to look at her, a tender smile rippling at the corners of his eyes. "You like sweet food so much. Aren't you afraid of getting cavities?"

"I like spicy food too." Lu Xiaoxiao held her tray steady. "It's just that I tend to get pimples after eating it, so I can only have a little."

Without showing anything, the young man silently committed her tastes to memory.

Shao Enci turned to the remaining oily, spicy dishes in the window and said calmly, "Auntie, give me a few portions of the spicy ones."

Lu Xiaoxiao found an empty seat in the quietest corner of the cafeteria and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, Shao Enci noticed there was no drink beside her and immediately rose. "Wait for me. I'll go buy you some fruit tea."

There were thirty-eight minutes left for the task, plenty of time. Lu Xiaoxiao looked up and said without hesitation, "Blueberry flavor, please. Come back quickly. The food won't taste good once it gets cold."

"Okay." Shao Enci answered gently, then turned and walked out of the cafeteria.

He had barely left when a shadow fell over the seat across from her.

"Lu Xiaoxiao."

A mild, gentle male voice rang out.

Lu Xiaoxiao still had a mouthful of eggplant. She looked up and met He Jiran's somewhat haggard face, and paused in surprise. "Senior He, are you here to eat too?"

"I came especially to find you." He Jiran looked down at her, complex emotions suppressed in his eyes, his voice gentle. "Are you free tonight? I'd like to take you to dinner. There are some things I..."

"She can't."

Before He Jiran could finish, a voice cut him off from behind.

Shao Enci had returned at some point, carrying a cup of blueberry oolong tea. He eyed He Jiran's hand resting on the edge of the table coldly, intense possessiveness in his deep black eyes.