“You… you’re being unreasonable,” Wen Wan’s face turned red with anger. If Rongrong had only said something about her, she wouldn’t have been so upset. But Rongrong’s mocking tone toward Jiang Li because of the shipping really infuriated her.
“Tell me, what part of what I said was unreasonable?” Rongrong raised an eyebrow provocatively.
Wen Wan was fired up, “You said Tong Yi is a top student at Capital University, which is true. But our school is also the best medical college! Jiang Li is the top scorer in nine provinces, and she chose to attend our school. How could you look down on it?”
Rongrong snorted, “Just because you say she’s the top scorer doesn’t make it true. At least make your lies more believable.”
Wen Wan was about to retort again when Jiang Li spoke up, her voice icy, “You already opened the post. If you have eyes, why not look at the later comments before continuing to spout nonsense?”
“You… you’re the one spouting nonsense!” Rongrong looked humiliated.
Jiang Li turned to Wen Wan, “Let’s not engage with idiots. If she goes too far, I might be tempted to just beat her up.”
Wen Wan froze, “Beat… beat her up?” Although she really disliked Rongrong, violence didn’t seem like the right solution, especially…. since she knew she couldn’t win in fighting!
Hmm, Jiang Li must be joking. Someone as sweet and adorable probably wouldn’t actually get into a fight!
Seeing Wen Wan’s reaction, Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh. “Tong Yi always said I was a ‘good girl,’ but I think you’re the real good girl.”
Wen Wan quickly shook her head, a bit embarrassed. “I’m not a good girl either. Actually, I secretly read manga during class and stayed up late watching dramas behind my parents’ backs. They just don’t know about it.”
While Wen Wan and Jiang Li were chatting, Rongrong finally finished reading all the comments on the forum. When she realized that Jiang Li was indeed the provincial top scorer and had even won an IMO gold medal, she was completely stunned.
She glanced at Jiang Li, who was in high spirits, and suddenly realized she had probably messed with the wrong person. A girl like Jiang Li, who was both beautiful and outstanding, must have many admirers. With just a slight hint from Jiang Li, people would start to target her.
After hesitating for a long time, Rongrong slowly walked up to Jiang Li, “I didn’t know before that you were really the top scorer, nor did I know you were so amazing.”
Jiang Li gave her an indifferent glance. “Whether I’m the top scorer or not doesn’t change the fact that I dislike you. If there’s no need for us to talk, I hope you don’t bother me.”
Rongrong: “…” It’s confirmed—Jiang Li is definitely not someone to mess with!
Wen Wan also really disliked Rongrong and didn’t want to deal with the girl, so she continued talking with Jiang Li. “The new students orientation lasts for two days, and since there’s no military training or classes tomorrow, how about I treat you to lunch? I’ll invite another friend to join us, is that okay for you?” Wen Wan felt that since Jiang Li had stood up for her during the bed dispute with Rongrong, she ought to repay her by treating her to lunch.
Jiang Li nodded. “Sure, I don’t have any plans tomorrow, anyway.”
“What do you want to eat? I can make a reservation in advance,” Wen Wan asked excitedly.
Jiang Li thought for a moment. “How about hotpot?”
Wen Wan immediately nodded. “Sure! I haven’t had a hotpot in a long time. I wonder if the hotpot here is authentic.”
Jiang Li smiled. “We’ll know after we try it!”
The next morning, two hours before they were set to depart, Wen Wan started meticulously applying makeup. Afterward, she asked Jiang Li to help her pick an outfit as if she were getting ready for a party, not a lunch with friends.
Jiang Li was incredulous, “We’re just going to eat hotpot. By the time we come back, the clothes you so meticulously selected will smell like hotpot. You’re only going to wear them for two hours.”
Wen Wan shyly smiled. “But… I can’t go out to eat dressed sloppily, right?”
“…” Jiang Li thought something seemed off about Wen Wan, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
When it was almost time for lunch, Jiang Li followed Wen Wan out of the campus gate toward the hotpot restaurant. Outside the restaurant, she spotted a young man in a white T-shirt and jeans. He was playing with his phone, but when Wen Wan gave a soft, fake cough, he immediately looked up.
As soon as he saw Wen Wan, the guy’s eyes lit up. He quickly walked over, took Wen Wan’s bag, and then turned to Jiang Li, greeting her warmly. “You must be Jiang Li, the new friend Wanwan mentioned. She was praising you so much yesterday.”
Although the guy was speaking to Jiang Li, his eyes never left Wen Wan, and his voice was especially gentle when he called her name.
Jiang Li glanced at the guy, then at Wen Wan. She finally understood why she had felt something was off earlier. If she wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t here to eat hotpot today—but to be fed with massive dog food!1
Seeing Jiang Li raising an eyebrow, Wen Wan explained in a low voice: “His name is Lin Zhao. He’s in the same year as us, and now a first-year student at Capital University.”
Jiang Li smiled and nodded, asking, “Is he the friend with panda blood you mentioned?”
Wen Wan immediately nodded. “Yes, now I’ll have two friends with panda blood. This makes me so happy.”
Lin Zhao’s eyes were filled with affection. “I didn’t expect you to make new friends so quickly.”
Wen Wan smiled proudly. “You used to say I couldn’t adapt to new environments. Now, do you think I have pretty good adaptability?”
Lin Zhao nodded seriously. “Yes, your adaptability is quite impressive, completely beyond my expectations.” Then he turned to Jiang Li and said in a gentle voice, “Wanwan started school early and even skipped a grade in junior high, so she’s only sixteen this year. It’s inevitable that she’s a bit childish in her words and actions, but she’s very sincere with people. After spending more time with her, you’ll come to like her.”
Wen Wan glared at Lin Zhao. “Stop calling me childish. In two years, I’ll be an adult too.”
Lin Zhao quickly appeased her, “Okay, okay, you’re not childish, I’m the one who’s childish, alright?” His tone was completely that of someone coaxing a child, but Wen Wan was quite pleased and proudly said, “Good that you know.”
“…” Jiang Li watched their interaction in silence and muttered inwardly: ‘Well, my previous guess is confirmed—I’m going to be fed a lot of dog food today!’
‘Still, Wen Wan is a minor, so does this count as premature love?’
So the trio of PDA pair and one extra entered the hotpot restaurant. Lin Zhao handed a menu to Jiang Li and began selecting dishes from another one. Wen Wan sat beside him, not even glancing at the menu.
Jiang Li could instantly tell that Lin Zhao knew Wen Wan’s preferences well, which allowed Wen Wan to just sit back and relax. At this moment, Jiang Li suddenly felt a bit homesick because everyone in her family knew her taste just as well.
Besides her family members, Big Nephew Tong Yi also knew her preferences quite well. Whenever they ate together, she could be as idle as Wen Wan.
Just as the image of Big Nephew ordering food popped into Jiang Li’s mind, her phone suddenly rang. She took it out of her pocket and saw a call from Tong Yi. Noticing that Lin Zhao was focused on choosing dishes and that Wen Wan was watching him with a particularly sweet smile, she got up and walked to the window to answer the call.
As soon as she picked up, she heard Tong Yi’s voice. “Jiang Xiao Li, do you want to come to our school for lunch today? You must try the craftmanship of our cafeteria chef.”
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