Looking back

The First Cafeteria was small, only a third the size of the Third Canteen. Aside from being cheap, it had absolutely nothing going for it. The food tasted like crap.

On top of that, about eighty percent of the students eating at the First Cafeteria were guys. Only a scattering of girls sat in the corners, chatting over their meals.

There were plenty of people having breakfast, with someone sitting at almost every table.

Luo Ye bought two meat buns, a cup of soy milk, an egg, and a corn pancake, then picked a random seat.

Another guy was already eating at the table, but that wasn't a problem. Besides, the table seated six, and they sat at opposite corners, well away from each other.

Suddenly.

More than half the guys in the cafeteria turned toward the entrance.

A tall, alluring woman dressed entirely in black had walked in. She was so stunning that the awful food suddenly seemed like the finest delicacies in the world.

One guy promptly stuffed two buns into his mouth at once.

Wasn't that Su Baizhou, Jiangda's campus belle? What was she doing at the First Cafeteria?

Luo Ye hadn't noticed the strange reactions around him yet. He took a sip of soy milk and found it a little salty.

Why did they have salty soy milk in the south? He wanted sweet soy milk! Sweet!

Su Baizhou bought some breakfast at random, then turned to look around and found every table occupied.

There were still some empty seats, but taking one meant sitting with guys.

Soon, she spotted Luo Ye. With a stride of her long legs, she headed straight toward him.

Wherever Su Baizhou passed, even the air seemed to turn sweet.

She wasn't wearing any makeup, but her cool, breathtaking beauty still captivated everyone who saw her.

Luo Ye froze when he noticed someone sitting down across from him.

Puzzled, he looked up and discovered it was his Fairy Senior.

What kind of heavenly moment was this?

Luo Ye's face still bore his disgust at the salty soy milk. When he saw Su Baizhou, it practically spasmed, alternating between delight and revulsion at the taste.

In the end, delight won out.

Everyone in the cafeteria looked stunned.

Fuck!

Why him?!

They were all guys, all campus-heartthrob material, all sitting at tables with empty seats beside them. Why did this brat get to be so lucky?

Soon, a guy bashfully took the seat beside Su Baizhou.

Su Baizhou frowned at this but said nothing.

Luo Ye didn't know what to say either.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Su Baizhou's Iceberg Goddess aura radiated out, putting the guy beside her under so much pressure that he could barely sit still.

Even Luo Ye lowered his head, not daring to look at Su Baizhou right then.

Before long, the guy hurriedly finished his food and left.

He had only been trying his luck, hoping he could sit beside the campus belle. He hadn't expected that a seat beside the ice-cold beauty wasn't something just anyone could handle.

Now Luo Ye understood why his Fairy Senior had earned her icy reputation.

Once the guy left, Luo Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

That oppressive feeling suddenly vanished.

Unfortunately, he had already finished eating.

He wiped his mouth and said cautiously, "Senior... I'll get going."

"No."

"Wait until I'm finished," Su Baizhou said coldly.

If Luo Ye left now, wouldn't she have to eat alone at the First Cafeteria?

The food here was so awful. How would she manage to eat it...?

Luo Ye gave a sheepish smile and stayed where he was, waiting for her to finish.

A few minutes later, Su Baizhou wiped her mouth, glanced at Luo Ye, and left without a word.

So this was what his Fairy Senior was really like.

Luo Ye stared unblinkingly at her retreating back.

He seemed to have spent so much of his life watching people walk away like this.

During his three-year crush in high school, he had watched the girl he liked in exactly the same way, following her retreating figure without daring to draw any closer. All he could do was watch her silently.

Even with his Fairy Senior, it had been the same. The first time they met, he had watched her walk away.

When his roommates went out for their first group dinner, he had run into her and watched his Fairy Senior's retreating back.

After their first date, when he walked her to the parking lot at the Faculty Apartments, he had watched her leave too. And now, here he was again.

He... could only watch her silently like this, looking out for her without being able to do anything. He didn't know what was missing, but something always felt off, leaving him with a feeling he couldn't put into words.

Until...

Just before Su Baizhou walked out of the cafeteria, she suddenly stopped.

She turned her head slightly and looked toward Luo Ye.

Seeing his dazed expression, she gently curved her lips, as though she had smiled. Only then did she leave.

That smile sent every guy in the cafeteria into raptures.

"The Iceberg Goddess smiled at me!!"

"She was obviously smiling at me!"

"Bull-fucking-shit. Go piss yourself a mirror and take a look at your face."

"What did you say? I'm Jiangcheng's Eddie Peng."

"Well, I'm Jiangcheng's Daniel Wu."

"Everyone shut up. Jiangcheng's most devoted lover has something to say."

The people around him started arguing. Only Luo Ye could tell that his Fairy Senior's smile had been meant for him.

At last, he knew what he had been missing all along.

It was that backward glance.

It was having the person whose retreating figure he kept chasing turn around and see that someone had been behind her all along.

A one-sided pursuit becoming something mutual...

"What are you doing?"

The sudden voice interrupted Luo Ye's thoughts. He looked up and saw Li Haoyang.

Liu Bingxin was following behind him.

They had finished their morning run and come to the First Cafeteria for breakfast too.

A girl willing to accompany a guy to the cafeteria beside the men's dorms-apparently, Coach had been completely won over by his sincerity.

Still, remembering that Liu Bingxin's roommate was Tang Enqi made Luo Ye feel a little awkward.

"Nothing. Oh, class is starting soon. I'm going back to get my textbooks. Want me to grab yours too?" Luo Ye asked.

"Sure. Remember to wake Dachui up."

Li Haoyang smiled, then went to buy food with Liu Bingxin.

By the looks of it, the honest, good-natured Li Haoyang would soon be dating the petite, long-legged Liu Bingxin. All they needed was the right opportunity.

Thinking it over, military training had lasted half a month, and they were now in their second week of classes. Even counting everything, it hadn't been a month yet.

They were moving fast.

When Luo Ye returned to the dorm room, Shen Qiao had already gone to the classroom to save seats. Only Wang Dachui remained, snoring away.

Today was Monday, the day with the most classes. Monday from hell.

Luo Ye took out his phone, turned the volume all the way up, played "You're so beautiful," and set it beside Wang Dachui's pillow.

The instant the music started, Wang Dachui's eyes flew open. He sprang out of bed, grabbed a basketball from underneath it, and instinctively performed his legendary dance.

Then he came fully awake. Seeing Luo Ye, he grinned and said excitedly, "Wild Kid, I dreamed I was performing onstage with my idol!"

"Got it. Go play."

Luo Ye turned off the music on his phone, then picked up his textbooks and Li Haoyang's. "Class starts in fifteen minutes. If you don't get washed up now, you can kiss your grades goodbye."

Wang Dachui's expression changed at that. "Holy shit! No worries. Your bro Dachui can slide-tackle his way straight into the classroom."

"Badass."