Leisurely Time

The morning classes slipped quietly away in the professor's steady tone.

Outside the windows, the phoenix tree leaves rustled, and the sunlight filtered through the glass, casting mottled light and shadow on the desks.

When the class bell rang, the students packed up their things with a sense of relief, chatting in twos and threes about what to have for lunch and where to go to play in the afternoon.

Lin Mo stuffed his textbook into his backpack, and Su Wanqing naturally followed by his side.

"Are we eating together for lunch?" she looked up at him with an expectant look. "A new counter just opened on the second floor of the Number One Cafeteria, and the stir-fried pork slices they make are especially good. If we go late, there will be a long line."

"I have plans with Zhou Ming." Lin Mo zipped up his backpack.

"Then... count me in?" Su Wanqing blinked, the corners of her mouth curling into a playful arc. "I promise to eat quietly and won't disturb you brothers chatting at all."

Zhou Ming had just squeezed over from the back row, and upon hearing this, his expression immediately danced with excitement as he exchanged winks and his lips moved silently: Agree to it, agree to it!

Lin Mo glanced at him and nodded. "Alright."

"That's great." Su Wanqing smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, and naturally hooked her arm through Lin Mo's.

The three of them followed the flow of the crowd and walked down the stairs.

The Teaching Building hallway at midday was bustling and full of life.

Along the way, Zhou Ming was bursting with questions, but hindered by Su Wanqing's presence, he couldn't ask them outright and could only make faces and wink.

Su Wanqing seemed completely unaware, holding Lin Mo's arm.

She spoke in soft, gentle tones about the latest gossip in their department, occasionally emitting soft laughs as her body inadvertently pressed close to Lin Mo.

The cafeteria's second floor was indeed packed, with long lines in front of every counter.

The smell of cooking oil, the fragrance of food, and the chatter of students blended together to form the most familiar background noise of a university campus.

Su Wanqing spotted an empty table in the corner with sharp eyes. "You guys go get the food first, I'll go save a table!"

She placed her backpack on a chair to reserve the spot, then took out tissues from her bag and began carefully wiping down the tabletop.

Lin Mo and Zhou Ming squeezed into the queue.

As soon as they were out of Su Wanqing's line of sight, Zhou Ming immediately lowered his voice:

"Damn! Lin Mo, come clean! When did you hook up with campus belle Su? You hide things deep!"

"Normal friends." Lin Mo kept his expression unchanged as he looked at the scrolling menu ahead.

"Normal friends my ass!" Zhou Ming rolled his eyes. "The look in her eyes when she looks at you could string threads!

And just now in the classroom, that gentle and attentive look of hers... I got goosebumps!"

"That's just because she's a nice person." Lin Mo brushed it off casually.

"Nice person? Su Wanqing?" Zhou Ming scoffed. "The guys in the department chasing her could line up from here to the school gate. Have you ever seen her be this proactive with anyone else?

And with you she becomes a 'nice person'? Who are you kidding!"

Lin Mo shrugged and didn't pick up the thread.

Zhou Ming stared at him for a few seconds, suddenly leaned in closer, and dropped his voice even lower, almost brushing against his ear:

"Lin Mo, tell me the truth... Are you... 'that' way now?"

"Which way?"

"You know... an Awakened." Zhou Ming's gaze was burning:

"I've felt something was off with you for a while! Your aura has gotten outrageously strong, kid.

You crushed a bowl with your bare hands while eating yesterday, and today Su Wanqing is practically throwing herself at you... Since when are there such coincidences in this world?"

A slight chill rose in Lin Mo's heart, but his face remained calm. "You're overthinking it. If I had superpowers, would I still be coming to classes?"

"That's true..." Zhou Ming scratched his head. "Then how do you explain what's going on with Su Wanqing?"

Lin Mo picked up his food tray and said offhandedly, "Blind cats meeting dead mice, they just hit it off."

When the two of them walked back carrying their trays, they saw from afar that Su Wanqing had already wiped the table and was looking down at her phone.

The sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a soft glow over her. Her skin was fair and translucent, and the profile of her cheek was as graceful as a painting.

The guys at several surrounding tables kept glancing in her direction.

A sense of satisfaction inexplicably rose in Lin Mo's heart. A beauty who was the center of attention wherever she went was waiting for him at this moment, showing her gentleness to him alone.

He pushed one of the food trays in front of her. "I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I just grabbed some random things."

Su Wanqing looked at the dishes on the tray: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried broccoli, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes—all dishes frequently ordered by girls.

She looked up at Lin Mo with gentle eyes. "How did you know I like to eat these?"

"Guessed it." Lin Mo sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

Su Wanqing bit her lip and smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating in small bites.

Her table manners were very elegant, but one could tell she had a good appetite.

Zhou Ming buried his head in his rice nearby, feeling like a one-thousand-watt lightbulb.

The three of them were silent for a time, leaving only the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the bustling background noise around them.

A few girls at the next table were passionately discussing the latest variety show, while a table of guys diagonally opposite them argued over gaming strategies.

Further away, someone was talking loudly on the phone—"Mom, I really am not spending money recklessly..."

This kind of ordinary, everyday feeling made Lin Mo feel somewhat dazed.

Last night, he was still fighting mountain bandits in another world, using toxic blood to corrode his enemies' bodies.

And now, he sat here, eating ordinary cafeteria food, with a beautiful classmate sipping soup in small bites beside him.

The sense of dissociation was so intense, yet felt so natural.

After finishing the meal, Zhou Ming made the excuse of returning to the dorm to rush through his assignments, picked up his tray, and slipped away; he really didn't want to be a lightbulb any longer.