Their first meal together

Before long, Luo Ye opened his eyes groggily.

Seeing this, Su Baizhou said calmly, "You're awake?"

Luo Ye rubbed his eyes, still a little out of it.

Then he focused his gaze and realized that Fairy Senior was sitting in front of him.

He immediately grew nervous again and stammered, "Ah... sorry, I... I fell asleep."

"It's fine."

Su Baizhou stood up and said, "Let's go. I'll treat you to dinner."

"Okay, sure."

Luo Ye followed shyly behind Su Baizhou, like a little brother.

Back on Senior's pink Chopped Chili Fish Head, Luo Ye started the engine.

It was his second time driving this car, and he was clearly much more familiar with it than before.

After driving a few blocks, he parked outside a barbecue restaurant.

As everyone knew, when college students went out to eat, it was either hot pot or barbecue.

Luo Ye had already gone for hot pot with his roommates last time, and now she had brought him out for barbecue.

Although the restaurant looked small from the outside, its interior was beautifully decorated. It was quiet, too, with few customers.

It was an undiscovered gem of a barbecue restaurant, perfect for a girl like Su Baizhou who disliked being disturbed.

The owner was a plump middle-aged woman. When she saw Su Baizhou, she came over with a warm smile. "Zhouzhou, you haven't been here in ages."

"The semester just started. I've been busy with the freshmen."

Su Baizhou wasn't aloof with this woman, and it was easy to tell she was a regular here.

The restaurant was called Sister Zhou’s Barbecue.

When Sister Zhou saw Luo Ye, her eyes lit up. "Is this young man here with you, Zhouzhou?" she asked in surprise.

"I... yes."

Luo Ye nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

Sister Zhou smiled. "Zhouzhou always used to come alone. Sometimes she'd bring another girl, but this is the first time she's brought a boy."

Hearing that, Luo Ye blushed and gave an embarrassed smile.

Seeing how innocent and sweet Luo Ye looked, Sister Zhou couldn't help liking him even more.

Luo Ye sat across from Su Baizhou, feeling a little awkward.

He was genuinely afraid that something he did might make her dislike him.

But Su Baizhou clearly hadn't gone out with a boy before either, and had even less idea how to interact with one.

After Sister Zhou brought over Su Baizhou's favorite foods, she quietly began grilling.

Watching her, Luo Ye followed her example and started grilling as well.

Noticing his clumsy movements, and that he hadn't even brushed on any oil, Su Baizhou asked calmly, "Have you never had barbecue before?"

"I have..."

Luo Ye answered timidly.

But at the barbecue restaurants he'd visited, the servers had grilled for him. He rarely did it himself.

Still, it wasn't difficult. He could pick up most of it just by watching her for a little while.

"Want a drink?"

Remembering how tipsy Luo Ye had been the last time they met, Su Baizhou couldn't help asking.

"No..."

Luo Ye declined.

This was his first meal with her. How could he dare to drink? Besides, if he drank, she would have to drive.

He really didn't dare risk that.

"Then I'll have some."

Su Baizhou asked Sister Zhou for a bottle of Green Plum Wine.

Sister Zhou explained, "Zhouzhou has some every time she comes. We brew it ourselves. It's delicious."

"Really? Then I'll buy a bottle too."

Hearing this, Su Baizhou frowned. "Who's driving?"

Luo Ye hurriedly shook his head. "I'm not drinking it now. I'll take it back to the dorm."

He simply wanted to know what her favorite wine tasted like.

He really hadn't had much Green Plum Wine before.

Su Baizhou ate slowly, chewing each bite carefully.

But after watching Luo Ye burn a slice of pork belly, Su Baizhou couldn't resist helping him grill.

He hadn't managed to grill a single slice of meat properly since they started.

Seeing her grill for him, Luo Ye looked bashful.

He was usually good at just about everything, but whenever cooking was involved, he became utterly useless.

Whether it was the simplest egg fried rice or the barbecue in front of him, he seemed incapable of learning.

Still, grilling meat was easier than making instant noodles. Perhaps he would get the hang of it after a few more tries.

Soon, Su Baizhou placed several slices of pork belly in Luo Ye's bowl.

Luo Ye tried one, and his eyes immediately lit up.

The meat she grilled was every bit as good as what the servers cooked at those high-end Japanese barbecue restaurants.

It was rich without being greasy, and evenly cooked.

Most importantly, the dipping sauce here was delicious too. No wonder she liked coming here.

Luo Ye began eating with gusto.

Faced with good food, he even forgot about her for a moment.

Precisely because he couldn't master cooking, he had no resistance whatsoever to delicious food.

It was something he wanted to achieve but never could.

Watching the young man in front of her quickly empty his plate, Su Baizhou looked faintly surprised.

What was this feeling?

Why did feeding him feel so fulfilling?

Su Baizhou grilled another batch. Without eating any herself, she put it all on Luo Ye's plate.

Watching Luo Ye happily finish everything she grilled without refusing a single bite, a faint look of satisfaction actually appeared on her aloof face.

She even found herself thinking about cooking for Luo Ye sometime.

Something's wrong. Why would I think that?

But he really does eat like a little kid. He's so focused on the food that he's even got grease around his mouth.

Seeing Luo Ye like this, Su Baizhou discreetly took another photo of him and sent it to her teacher.

Gu Mingxuan replied almost instantly.

: ???

: Xiao Ye actually went out to eat with you?

Su Baizhou's expression turned cool when she saw that, and she replied.

: What's that supposed to mean?

She was the aloof campus beauty. Didn't he have that backward?

Shouldn't he be surprised that she had actually gone out to eat with Luo Ye?

Then Gu Mingxuan replied.

: You're not seriously trying to hit on my little brother, are you?

: Then you've got a problem. If you want to win him over, there's an obstacle you'll have to get past.

: Xiao Ye had a crush on a goddess for three years in high school. But for some reason, they didn't get together in college.

Su Baizhou's expression grew a little colder.

She looked at Luo Ye in front of her. For some reason, her mood had soured, and she said coolly, "We're leaving."

"Huh?"

With his mouth stuffed full of food like a hamster, Luo Ye stared blankly at Su Baizhou.

Seeing him like this, Su Baizhou's irritation vanished.

How could she stay angry at that face?

And why was she angry in the first place?

Just then, another message from Gu Mingxuan arrived on her phone.

: Still, if Xiao Ye's willing to go out to eat with you, that means he's drawn a clear line between himself and the girl he liked. Unless something unexpected happened, that's probably over. I can vouch for Xiao Ye's character on that front.

After reading the message, Su Baizhou suddenly looked up at Luo Ye, who had already stood and was preparing to leave. "Where are you going?" she asked softly.

Luo Ye looked puzzled. "Didn't you say we were leaving...?"

"Sit down and eat."

"Huh?"

"Sit down."

"Oh."

Luo Ye obediently sat back down, but he was already pretty much full.

Su Baizhou grilled another batch.

Looking at his bowl, which she had filled again, Luo Ye sighed inwardly.

Just eat. That's all I can do.