Having Lunch with Xiao Wu

The morning theory class had finally dragged to an end.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, Xiao Wu was the first to spring out of her seat and stretch lazily. The hem of her school uniform lifted slightly with the motion, revealing a small stretch of pale waist before quickly falling back down.

"I'm starving, I'm starving!" She grabbed Lin Chen by the sleeve and dragged him outside. "Hurry, hurry! If we get there late, the cafeteria won't have any meat left!"

Lin Chen let her pull him along for two steps, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Slow down. It's not like I'm going to run away."

"I don't know whether you'll run away, but the braised pork definitely will!" Xiao Wu said without looking back. "Yesterday, I was just one step too late, and Wang Sheng that pig snatched the last piece!"

The two walked out of the classroom chatting and laughing. As they passed through the corridor, they happened to run into Tang San coming out from the other side.

Tang San paused when he saw them, then quickly walked over. "Brother Chen, shall we go eat together?"

Lin Chen glanced at him and nodded. "Let's go."

The three headed toward the cafeteria together. On the way, Xiao Wu was still complaining about missing out on the braised pork yesterday, describing it so vividly that it was as though that piece of pork had been the greatest regret of her life.

"You have no idea how big that piece of meat was!" Xiao Wu gestured with her hands. "This big! Greasy and shiny, and it looked delicious at a glance! But Wang Sheng that bastard just stretched out his chopsticks and picked it away. He didn't even leave me a sip of broth!"

Lin Chen smiled. "I'll order you something even better today."

"Really?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "What? What is it?"

"You'll find out when we get there."

Tang San walked beside them, listening to their conversation and feeling like an outsider. He wanted to join in, but he could not find a suitable topic. He was not familiar with Xiao Wu. He did not even know what she liked to eat.

The cafeteria had two floors. The first floor was a dining hall that served ordinary meals. The prices were cheap, but the food was mediocre. The second floor was for made-to-order dishes. The prices were much higher, and usually only teachers and students from wealthy families went up there.

Lin Chen led Xiao Wu straight toward the stairs.

Xiao Wu froze for a moment. "Brother Chen, you went the wrong way. The first floor is over here."

"I didn't." Lin Chen did not turn around. "We're eating on the second floor today."

"The, the second floor?" Xiao Wu blinked. "Isn't the second floor really expensive? I don't have any money. I heard a single dish up there costs several silver soul coins!"

"My treat."

"Where did you get the money?" Xiao Wu looked at him suspiciously. "Isn't your family poor too?"

Lin Chen smiled without explaining.

Of course, he had no money. But he possessed the Five Elements Laws. The Law of Metal could control metal elements, and condensing gold soul coins was as easy for him as molding clay.

The three went up to the second floor. The environment there was far better than downstairs. The tables and chairs were clean, the windows bright and spotless, and several landscape paintings hung on the walls. A few tables were already occupied, mostly by teachers or academy staff judging by their clothing.

Lin Chen found a window seat, sat down, and flipped through the menu on the table.

Xiao Wu leaned over, her head resting against his shoulder as they looked at the menu together. Her hair brushed Lin Chen's cheek, carrying a faint scent of soapberry.

"This one, this one!" Xiao Wu pointed at a dish, her eyes shining. "Crystal carrots! They actually have a dish like this!"

Lin Chen glanced at it. Crystal carrots, priced at one gold soul coin.

The so-called crystal carrots were simply carrots carved into various shapes and then prepared with a special cooking method that gave them a clear, crystalline texture, making them look as beautiful as crystal.

It was said that they tasted different from ordinary carrots as well—crisp, sweet, and refreshing. They were one of the cafeteria's signature dishes.

"We'll have that." Lin Chen closed the menu and said to the server, "And one serving of braised pork, one serving of stir-fried vegetables, and two bowls of rice."

The server noted down the order and politely asked, "Would you like anything else?"

"That's enough." Lin Chen waved a hand.

After the server left, Xiao Wu was still immersed in excitement. "Brother Chen, you're really treating me to crystal carrots? That costs one gold soul coin! One gold soul coin is enough for me to buy steamed buns for a whole month!"

"As long as you like it."

"I like it, I like it! Of course I like it!" Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, then added somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually... carrots are my favorite food."

Lin Chen found her excited yet bashful expression amusing.

This girl was a rabbit in her true form. It was only natural that she liked carrots.

Tang San sat across from them, watching how close they were, and silently lifted the tea on the table for a sip.

The tea was a little bitter.

The dishes arrived soon afterward.

The crystal carrots truly lived up to their reputation. Every piece had been carved into a six-pointed star, clear and translucent throughout, reflecting a pale orange glow beneath the lights. They looked like works of art carved from amber.

Several mint leaves decorated the side, making the dish look even more exquisite.

Xiao Wu picked up a piece, carefully took a bite, and then froze completely.

"How is it?" Lin Chen asked.

Xiao Wu did not answer. Instead, she quickly stuffed the remaining half into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's as she chewed a few times, swallowed, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Delicious! So delicious! It's crisp and sweet, and it has this indescribable fragrance!" She picked up another piece. "Brother Chen, hurry and try one!"

She picked up a piece of crystal carrot and naturally held it up to Lin Chen's mouth.

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then lowered his head and took a bite from her chopsticks.

It really was delicious. Crisp and tender upon entering the mouth, sweet and refreshing, with a faint honey flavor. They had probably added honey sauce during the pickling process.

"Tasty, right?" Xiao Wu looked at him with a beaming smile, completely unaware of how intimate her earlier gesture of feeding him had been.

"Mm, not bad."

Tang San sat across from them, his chopsticks frozen in midair as he watched the scene.

His gaze fell on Xiao Wu's sparkling eyes, on the trace of sauce at the corner of her mouth, and on the piece of carrot she had naturally offered Lin Chen.

Suddenly, he found the food before him utterly tasteless.

He hurriedly shoveled down a few bites of rice before putting down his chopsticks.

"Tang San, why are you eating so little?" Lin Chen glanced at him.

"I'm not very hungry." Tang San forced out a smile. "You two take your time. I'll go back first and prepare for this afternoon's classes."

After saying that, he got up and left the table.

Lin Chen watched his back disappear at the stairway, the corners of his mouth curling slightly before he calmly continued eating.

Xiao Wu did not notice anything unusual about Tang San at all. She was still battling the plate of crystal carrots, eating until sauce covered her mouth.

"Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."

"Mmm mmm mmm..." Xiao Wu's mouth was stuffed full of carrots as she mumbled, "But it's too delicious..."

Lin Chen looked at her greedy little face and could not help reaching out to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth.

Xiao Wu paused, her cheeks flushing slightly. But she quickly pretended nothing had happened, lowered her head, and continued eating.