The Courage of Love (2)

Zhen Xiaoyan is a girl who absolutely loves to eat, and she cooks all her own meals. Just looking at her figure tells you how much she can eat, and by extension, how many dishes she's made. Her culinary skills, honed through practice, have reached a very high level.

That's right, it's because of her cooking that Ye Lang fell for her. Well, her cooking, anyway. Ever since he tried it for the first time, he's come to snatch Zhen Xiaoyan's bento box every day.

"I'll give it back later, I'm eating right now," Ye Lang replied, his mouth full.

"Give it back later? By then, you'll have eaten it all and left only an empty shell," Zhen Xiaoyan said irritably.

"Yeah, once I'm done eating, I'll return it. Otherwise, how will you bring more tomorrow?" Ye Lang said shamelessly, a statement that was enough to make anyone fume.

"You, you..." Zhen Xiaoyan was speechless again.

"Hmph, I'll let it go today, but you're not allowed to snatch mine tomorrow," Zhen Xiaoyan declared, a statement she made almost every day, yet the next day, it was always the same.

"Tomorrow I want to eat Fish Ball Thick Noodles, make sure it's good," Ye Lang said, seemingly not hearing her, directly stating what he wanted to eat.

"Got it. You eat this every day, aren't you tired of it? Wait... why am I making it for you!" Zhen Xiaoyan said, realizing something was off as she spoke.

"Xiaoyan, you're the same. If you don't want to give it to him, then don't make it," a female classmate who was close to Zhen Xiaoyan said.

That's how it was. Zhen Xiaoyan always said she wouldn't give it to him, but she prepared a portion for Ye Lang every day. The reason, of course, wasn't because she liked Ye Lang; she hated him, if anything.

The real reason was—

"If I don't make it for him, he'll snatch my portion, and then I won't have enough to eat. Anyway, he doesn't eat much, so it doesn't matter," Zhen Xiaoyan said, glaring fiercely at Ye Lang as she whispered to her friend.

"That's true. Compared to you, he really eats very little," her friend said with a smile, clearly teasing her.

"Oh, you're laughing at me, aren't you? Watch me crush you!!" Zhen Xiaoyan retorted immediately, using her physical advantage to threaten her.

Although Zhen Xiaoyan had a large build, she wasn't self-conscious about it. She had a cheerful disposition, perhaps because she hadn't encountered any major setbacks.

"Ah, no, I won't say anything else, okay? If you crush me, I'll be half dead at best," her friend feigned fear.

"Knew you'd be scared. I'm done talking to you, I'm going to eat now." Zhen Xiaoyan smiled and began to eat, tackling the lunch spread across her entire table.

"Let's eat, let's eat..." her friend chimed in, as lunch break began.

In this classroom, they weren't the only ones eating bento boxes. In the Alchemy Academy, most people didn't want to waste time going to the cafeteria. They preferred eating bento boxes and using the saved time for research.

Just as everyone was eating lunch, the arrival of a handsome young man turned an ordinary moment into something extraordinary.

This handsome young man was known as one of the Four Great Young Masters of the Royal Academy, Young Master Moya. He not only possessed handsome looks but also profound strength and a powerful family background.

He was the Prince Charming in the hearts of many young girls. In this academy, countless girls were infatuated with him. Take the scene before them, for instance; among Ye Lang's female classmates, there were several who felt this way, and Zhen Xiaoyan was one of them.

Since Young Master Moya's arrival, her eyes had never left him. Her lovesick gaze was so intense it seemed her eyes would turn into red hearts.

"Excuse me, I'm a bit late!" After entering the classroom, Young Master Moya ignored the infatuated gazes and walked directly to a young lady, speaking with a hint of apology.

The young lady who could elicit such behavior from Young Master Moya was naturally not ordinary. She was an absolute beauty, the only girl in the class who could truly be showcased. She was Shalan.

At this moment, Ye Lang couldn't help but admire the taste of those "professionals." Shalan had indeed become a sexy stunner. If that weren't the case, how could Young Master Moya have chosen her?

"It's alright, I've just finished tidying up. Shall we go?" Shalan said magnanimously, then gently linked her arm with Young Master Moya's, and they left the classroom amidst the envious gazes of everyone present.

"They're gone, what are you still looking at!" Zhen Xiaoyan's friend shook her awake from her lovesick daze.

"Sigh, how happy would I be if it were me?" Zhen Xiaoyan said enviously, wishing she could trade places with Shalan with all her might.

At this moment, Ye Lang, returning his lunchbox, said ungraciously, "If it were you, it wouldn't be happiness, it would be a tragedy."

"Go to hell!!!" Zhen Xiaoyan picked up the lunchbox and threw it at him.

"Ouch!" A scream rang out, but it wasn't from Ye Lang. It was from a tragically innocent bystander, with the lunchbox still perched on his head.

With Ye Lang's agility, how could he possibly be hit by a mere lunchbox? If it didn't hit him, then the person behind him was likely to suffer the consequences.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to," Zhen Xiaoyan apologized immediately.

"I know you didn't mean to, but you know you can't hit him, so why do you always throw things? Why do we always get caught in the crossfire?" the bystander said pitifully. It was clear this wasn't the first time he'd been hit, and he wasn't the only one.

"Sorry, it was just an impulse. I promise it won't happen next time," Zhen Xiaoyan apologized.

"How many months have you been saying that?" the bystander retorted.

"Not months, a year and three months!" Ye Lang interjected, sitting aside reading a book as if none of this concerned him.

"It's all because of you!!" Zhen Xiaoyan, along with those who had been innocently caught in the crossfire, shouted in unison, their anger palpable.

"Hmm, this Alchemy Formula..." Ye Lang completely ignored everyone's fury and went to study his Alchemy Formula. This wasn't him changing the subject; he often did this – when he got serious, he got serious and ignored everything else.

"..." Knowing this was the case, everyone realized further complaints would be pointless and began eating their bento boxes, discussing everyday matters.

Several days later, it was still lunchtime. Ye Lang had still snatched Zhen Xiaoyan's bento box, and Young Master Moya still appeared in the classroom, preparing to have lunch with Shalan. The phrase "inseparable" perfectly described the lovebirds.

Please vote. Also, brothers and sisters, have you seen the selection mentioned in the synopsis? If you have any extra votes, please give them. I won't be afraid of having too many, of course, but don't spend money specifically to vote