That Encounter Was Bound to Happen

"By the way, didn't you say you were bringing your roommates?"

"They went to buy something. They might not be able to come for a while."

After hearing that, Zhou Chao couldn't help leaning forward. "Hong Yan, are your roommates pretty?"

Hong Yan secretly glanced at Jiang Qin, her cheeks faintly red. "They're pretty. Much prettier than me."

"Really?"

"Of course. You'll know when they get here."

As they chatted, the kitchen finished preparing the dishes, and the servers brought them to the table one after another. Along with the food came a case of beer—eight bottles in total.

Perhaps because the restaurant was so busy, Jiang Qin couldn't find a bottle opener anywhere. He could only press the bottle caps against the edge of the table and knock them off with a powerful slap.

Bang—

Ren Ziqiang's eyes widened. "Jiang Ge, that was pretty impressive."

Jiang Qin waved his hand. "Nothing special. I'm just practiced."

Hong Yan's eyes lit up slightly, and her lashes fluttered twice. "That's from The Oil Peddler by the great Song Dynasty writer Ouyang Xiu. Jiang Qin, you can even use classical Chinese in a living way?"

"?????"

Jiang Qin froze for a moment. Isn't that just a worn-out joke from the future? Whenever I watched anime on Bilibili, I'd see this line whenever the opening started. There was also, 'Nothing special, I'm just good with automatic transmission.'

So... this line hasn't been overused yet?

Jiang Qin glanced at Hong Yan subconsciously, his brows drawing together slightly.

This girl seems to have some incredible filter on me...

"My roommate seems to be here. I'll go meet her."

After chatting for a while, Hong Yan left her seat. Zhou Chao and Ren Ziqiang instantly couldn't hold back any longer. Their straight backs slumped, and the two of them each grabbed one of Jiang Qin's arms, refusing to let go.

"Jiang Ge, start the lesson. We'll kneel and listen!"

Jiang Qin struggled to pull his arms free. "You're overthinking it. Even dogs wouldn't date."

Cao Guangyu couldn't help feeling stirred. "You're not interested in a girl of school-beauty caliber like her?"

"It's not that I'm uninterested. I just think dating is a waste of time."

Zhou Chao couldn't help pouting. "Jiang Ge, I'm not making things up. Hong Yan definitely likes you."

Jiang Qin was somewhat surprised. "You can even tell that?"

"Of course. The way Hong Yan looks at you is practically melting, and she smiles whenever you talk to her. Isn't that obvious?"

"Looks like I can't eat with her anymore..."

Zhou Chao: "?????"

Ren Ziqiang smoothly picked up the conversation. "Lao Jiang, Hong Yan just said her roommate is even prettier than her. You have to get her to introduce us."

Jiang Qin shook his head lightly. "Hong Yan has a high emotional intelligence and cares a lot about other people's feelings when she speaks. So when she says her roommate is pretty, it might not necessarily be true. Pay attention later and don't say anything inappropriate."

"Really?"

"I haven't seen them myself. It's just a guess, but it's probably the case."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Yan appeared in Nanshan Restaurant again, with two girls following behind her.

The girl on the left wore a floral dress that revealed a section of her smooth, jade-like calf. Her skin was fair as snow, lively spirit shone between her brows and eyes, and her figure was tall and striking.

The one on the right was slightly less attractive, but she was still a beauty, with a graceful, refined air.

Cao Guangyu, Ren Ziqiang, and Zhou Chao all widened their eyes. Lao Jiang was seriously talking nonsense. How could this not count as pretty? The girl on the right might be slightly less beautiful, but she was still on the same level as Song Qingqing. As for the girl on the left, she was in no way inferior even compared with Hong Yan.

Jiang Qin was also stunned, because he discovered that perhaps coincidences in this world really could be just like those in novels.

"Let me introduce everyone. These are my roommates, Chu Siqi and Wang Huiru."

"..."

"..."

Chu Siqi stared blankly at Jiang Qin, feeling as if she had suddenly been transported across lifetimes.

Wang Huiru was also full of surprise, unable to understand why Jiang Qin had appeared at Hong Yan's dinner.

After all, she had previously helped Chu Siqi ask Jiang Qin out many times, but Jiang Qin had always brushed her off by saying he was too busy. Yet this unexpected encounter had made it impossible for them to avoid seeing each other again.

Soon, the two girls regained their composure and sat silently beside Hong Yan.

Chu Siqi remained silent because her thoughts were in turmoil and she didn't know what to say. Wang Huiru remained silent because she was considering Hong Yan's feelings and didn't want the atmosphere to become awkward.

"So, are my roommates pretty?" Hong Yan asked with a smile, her lips pressed together.

Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao immediately nodded. "Pretty. Could you two be from the legendary school-beauty dorm?"

"I wouldn't dare call myself a school beauty. Siqi, though, is more or less one."

"Then... does Chu have a boyfriend?"

Hearing that, Chu Siqi clenched her pearly teeth and couldn't help looking toward Jiang Qin.

Jiang Qin nodded lightly in greeting, expressionless, then lowered his head and began eating. He stopped participating in the conversation and said nothing more, as if none of it had anything to do with him.

That distance and indifference instantly made Chu Siqi's breathing catch, and endless grievance surged from the depths of her heart.

For the entire Summer Vacation, they had exchanged no more than ten sentences. After finally meeting again in an unfamiliar city, she was being treated like a stranger. No one could possibly feel good about that.

You used to like me. You used to like me so much.

But now, why can't I even get a smile from you?

Wang Huiru quietly glanced at the two of them. Feeling that she should first confirm something, she leaned toward Hong Yan's ear. "Yan Yan, which one do you like?"

Hong Yan's cheeks suddenly flushed. "I'm just here to see a friend. Don't misunderstand."

"You spent an hour getting dressed before leaving, and changed outfits five times. How can that be called a misunderstanding?"

Hong Yan hesitated for a long while before lowering her voice. "Fine. It's that person. His name is Jiang Qin."

Wang Huiru was silent for a long time before asking, "What do you like about him?"

"He's different from every other guy I've met."

"..."

So everyone knew what was good about Jiang Qin—except Siqi. Wang Huiru had an ominous feeling, but she had no idea what to do.

Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao didn't notice anything unusual between the two girls. They continued shamelessly currying favor, even telling them to order whatever dishes they liked.

Cao Guangyu's head was beginning to ache. It's fine if you two want to be generous, but I'm the one paying!

However, he was a rich second-generation heir and cared about his reputation, so he obviously couldn't say that outright. Besides, Hong Yan's two roommates really were beautiful, especially Chu Siqi, whose looks were practically on par with Hong Yan's.

He could tell that Hong Yan was interested in Jiang Qin, so he probably had no hope. After all, there was only a layer of gauze between a girl pursuing a guy and success. But if he could develop feelings with a beauty of equal standing, that would still make a fine story.

"Chu, do you drink?"

"No, thank you."

"Then what dishes do you like? I'll order some for you."

Chu Siqi shook her head again. This time, she didn't even speak.

Cao Guangyu's attempts to curry favor had gone nowhere, and he instantly felt extremely depressed. Is the disparity in life really this obvious and heartbreaking? "Let's eat first. We can chat later."

Jiang Qin suddenly spoke and handed the chopsticks to Hong Yan.

It was merely a friendly gesture and didn't carry much meaning. But the moment Chu Siqi saw it, she instantly broke down. Her heart hurt as if it had been pricked by a needle, and her gaze turned resentful.

Jiang Qin clearly used to like her. Whether it was his tenderness or consideration, only she had ever been allowed to enjoy it.

She didn't want to endure it anymore.

"Jiang Qin, you said we'd part on good terms. Why did you suddenly appear in front of me again?"

Chu Siqi looked at Jiang Qin, and the moment she spoke, the entire table fell silent.

Jiang Qin's hand paused slightly as he picked up food. In the end, he raised his head helplessly. "It was a coincidence. Hong Yan and I had arranged to eat together, but I didn't know you were roommates. It was completely accidental."

Chu Siqi's temper flared instantly. "I say you did, so you did. How dare you deny it?"

"..."

"I have something to do. You all take your time eating."

Jiang Qin genuinely hated this kind of princess temper. You say I did it, so I did? If you don't become a doctor at an infertility hospital, it'll be a damn waste of your talent.

He placed his chopsticks on the plate, gave Hong Yan a slightly apologetic smile, said sorry to the others, and then rose from his seat.

"You know each other?" Hong Yan asked, not reacting for a moment, her eyes filled with confusion.

Jiang Qin paused briefly, then nodded calmly. "Yeah. We were high school classmates."

"Not just high school classmates. You also said you'd love me for the rest of your life!" Chu Siqi was devastated by his offhand dismissal.

At the same time, Cao Guangyu, Ren Ziqiang, and Zhou Chao were all dumbfounded. Their minds spun for a long while, but they still couldn't process what had happened.

What just happened? This Chu Siqi seems to be Jiang Qin's too?

Did Jiang Qin just show off in front of me again without me even realizing it?