On the other side of the University A campus, outside a teaching building.
Xie Baotan shrank behind someone like a little coward, following his every step.
The moment the man ahead turned around, Xie Baotan straightened up, standing at attention.
"Cousin! Your orders, please!"
Yan Jinyue glanced at the clowning Xie Baotan. "I can keep what happened today from Uncle."
Xie Baotan's eyes lit up, his voice excited. "Really?"
"Cousin! I knew you were the best!"
"You..."
"Shut up!"
Yan Jinyue's brows drew together, and Xie Baotan immediately covered his mouth.
"Xie Baotan, I can keep the fact that you fought over a girl today from Uncle."
"But there won't be a next time."
Xie Baotan nodded repeatedly. "Yes!"
Then he stole a glance at Yan Jinyue and muttered quietly, "I really wasn't fighting over a girl..."
Yan Jinyue gave Xie Baotan a sidelong look with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Then you weren't telling your adviser the truth earlier."
"Come clean."
Regret appeared on Xie Baotan's face, and he couldn't help smacking his own mouth. How had his sly old fox of a cousin bluffed it out of him?
"Cousin, you have to promise you won't tell my parents if I tell you."
Xie Baotan looked pleadingly at Yan Jinyue, who nodded. "I'll consider it."
"You just said you wouldn't tell my dad!" Xie Baotan grew anxious.
Yan Jinyue said, "I only said I wouldn't tell Uncle about your fight. As for whatever you're about to tell me, that depends."
"Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist."
"If I want to know, you know I can find out. If I find out myself..."
Xie Baotan said, "I'll talk, I'll talk!"
"There's an academic genius in our class with amazing grades. Isn't the simulated investment competition starting soon? I wanted to ask her to team up with me."
"But she was really aloof and turned me down."
Yan Jinyue snorted. "With a liability like you, that's perfectly normal."
Xie Baotan choked, not daring to voice his anger, and could only purse his lips.
Yan Jinyue raised an eyebrow. "Then what? How did you end up fighting?"
"It wasn't that I wanted to fight. Yue Feng hit first. He kept saying our academic genius owed him money and pestering her. To impress her so she'd team up with me, I offered to pay her debt. Who knew Yue Feng would go crazy and try to hit me? I hit back on reflex."
"Who knew he couldn't take a hit? One punch sent him to the hospital."
Xie Baotan's tone was full of disdain.
Yan Jinyue's eyes darkened. "Does this academic genius know about all the things you've done?"
Xie Baotan hesitated. "She probably does?"
"Everyone in our school probably knows by now."
Yan Jinyue said, "Are you proud of yourself?"
Xie Baotan shook his head vigorously. "No, no."
Looking at his cousin's foolish expression, how was Yan Jinyue supposed to tell him that being a simp generally got you nowhere?
Yan Jinyue was just about to say something when someone called out nearby, "Xie! Xie!"
A chubby young man ran up to them, panting, and waved the phone in his hand. "Quick, check the class group chat."
Xie Baotan took out his phone and opened the class group chat. Aside from the messages their adviser had sent during the day, there was only a video posted by a classmate.
He opened the video, and as he watched, his eyes suddenly widened. Then he looked at Yan Jinyue awkwardly.
Yan Jinyue said, "Whatever it is, just say it."
Xie Baotan said, "Our academic genius is in trouble. I want to..."
Yan Jinyue held out a hand. "Let me see."
Xie Baotan obediently handed his phone to Yan Jinyue. Yan Jinyue watched the girl in the video. She seemed to be running a stall, and the person filming was giving her a hard time.
At first, Yan Jinyue was only watching casually. Unexpectedly, the next second, the camera swept over a figure beside the girl, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
Yan Jinyue rewound the video and watched it twice more, confirming once again that the person covered head to toe in black was Ji Hanxing.
What was he doing here, and what was his relationship with that girl?
"Where are they?"
Yan Jinyue's sudden question startled Xie Baotan. "Huh?"
"Weren't you going to find the academic genius in your class? Lead the way."
There was an inexplicable urgency in Yan Jinyue's voice that left Xie Baotan puzzled.
If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't bother.
"At the night market on our back street."
Meanwhile, Ji Hanxing was teaching Jiang Qianling to make egg fried rice. Holding an iron spatula in one hand, he cracked an egg one-handed. The egg instantly spread over the griddle with a sizzle of oil. He quickly broke it up, cooked it, and scooped it off.
"Choosing the rice matters too. The rice has to be on the dry side. Distinct, separate grains are the essence of fried rice."
Ji Hanxing looked at the white rice Jiang Qianling had prepared. "Your rice is passable. Next time you cook it, you can use a little less water."
He scooped out a large spoonful of rice with the rice paddle, spread it over the griddle, then broke it up with the spatula.
"You also need to control the heat when making fried rice. It doesn't stay the same throughout. You can start by stir-frying quickly over medium heat, then turn it down low toward the end. That gives the rice more chew."
"Remember, you don't need to use too much force when stir-frying either. Too much force might turn the rice into mush."
"The seasonings..."
As Ji Hanxing demonstrated, he explained the things to watch out for when making egg fried rice. Jiang Qianling listened intently, notebook in hand, writing them down one by one.
Ji Hanxing found a moment to glance at Jiang Qianling's notebook and saw that she had also added notes with her own understanding.
Her ability to learn theory really was strong.
A bowl of golden egg fried rice with clearly separated grains was ready. The rich aroma of eggs and rice seemed like a hook, catching Jiang Qianling's nose, as well as the three people who had gathered beside them at some point to watch.
"That smells so good..."
The chubby young man beside Xie Baotan finally couldn't hold back and spoke.
He kept swallowing, his eyes like those of a wolf that had been hungry for a long time, fixed on the plate of egg fried rice in Ji Hanxing's hand.
Jiang Qianling turned toward Xie Baotan and the others and thought for a moment. "Are you here to buy egg fried rice?"
There was even a hint of anticipation in her voice. Having just watched Ji Hanxing work, she was now eager to try it herself.
Ji Hanxing turned around and saw Yan Jinyue. His vision nearly went black, and even the plate in his hand wobbled.
A gleam flashed through Yan Jinyue's eyes, and he reached out to steady the plate of egg fried rice. It looked like he was helping, but his real aim was-to touch Ji Hanxing's hand.
"Careful."
Ji Hanxing feigned composure. He remembered that he was covered up like this and wearing a mask. Who could recognize him?
He lowered his cap brim further, hiding his entire face, and deliberately deepened his voice. "Thank you."
Yan Jinyue studied the person in front of him.
[Aaaah! What is Yan Jinyue doing here!]
[Did he see me making egg fried rice?]
The familiar inner voice rang out, and the corners of Yan Jinyue's mouth lifted. Just as he'd thought.