As soon as the call was connected, Tong Yi’s voice rang from the receiver. “Jiang Xiao Li, do you want to come to our school for lunch today? You must try the craftmanship of our cafeteria chef.”
Jiang Li declined, “I was invited to lunch today, and we’re already at a hotpot restaurant.”
“Someone invited you to lunch?” Tong Yi sounded surprised. “Did you get in touch with your high school friends?” Minjiang First High School was full of top students, and many were admitted to the top two Capital University and Huaxia University, so the chances of Jiang Xiao Li running into a fellow alumnus were quite high.
“No, it’s a new friend,” Jiang Li replied. Although she had only met Wen Wan the day before, she really liked the girl’s personality. Since Wen Wan called her a friend, Jiang Li naturally regarded her as one too.
Upon hearing this, Tong Yi instantly lost his composure. He couldn’t help but ask, “Based on what I know about you, you’re usually slow to warm up to people. How did you make a new friend so quickly?”
“I am slow to warm up, but whether we become friends depends on chemistry, doesn’t it?” She easily retorted.
Just as she finished speaking, Lin Zhao, who had finished ordering, asked, “Jiang Li, are these the only dishes you’re getting? Do you want to add anything?”
“No need to add more,” Jiang Li said to him. “Those dishes are enough for me.”
“…” On the other side of the call, Tong Yi was completely stunned. If his ears weren’t playing tricks on him, the voice asking Jiang Xiao Li about the dishes just now belonged to a man!
‘So, on her first day of college, Jiang Xiao Li has already made new friends—one of them even a guy?!’
“Jiang Xiao Li, where are you eating?” After a few seconds of silence, he asked.
Jiang Li replied, “Just at a hotpot restaurant across from my campus. I didn’t notice the name of the restaurant. Anyway, I’m about to start cooking, so I’ll talk to you later.”
After saying that, she hung up the phone. Tong Yi listened to the busy tone on the other end, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
He suddenly recalled how it was just yesterday when Jiang Xiao Li had told him she liked guys who were gentle, mature, and a bit black-bellied. And today, she mentioned that her new friend had great chemistry with her.
’Does that mean her new friend fits that mature, steady, and gentle type?’
Unable to sit still and do nothing, Tong Yi hurriedly stuffed his phone into his pocket, grabbed his keys from the table, and prepared to leave.
One of his roommates called out, “Didn’t you say earlier that you were going to eat at the cafeteria with us today and that you were even bringing a friend? It’s almost lunchtime now, so why are you rushing out?”
Tong Yi tossed out, “I’ve got something to handle,” before darting out of the dorm at top speed.
Before the roommates could process what had just happened, Tong Yi was already gone. One of them remarked, “The way Tong Yi rushed out, it was like he was going to beg his girlfriend not to dump him.”
Another roommate laughed. “With the way Tong Yi looks, do you really think he’d get dumped?”
The first one thought for a moment and replied honestly, “Yeah, Tong Yi is handsome, but I still think he’s got a bit of a bad-boy vibe. If you ask me, I’d say the next-door Qin Zheng is more popular with the girls. He may not be as good-looking as Tong Yi, but he gives off a much more reliable vibe.”
“Who cares who’s more popular with the girls? It’s got nothing to do with us. Let’s go grab lunch at the cafeteria.”
“Now that you’ve mentioned the cafeteria, I suddenly feel hungry.”
“Go, go!”
…
After dashing out of the dorm, Tong Yi ran straight to the gate of the Capital Medical University. Fortunately, the two campuses were close by, so he rented a shared bike and got there in less than ten minutes. Once he reached the entrance of the campus, he realized there were several hotpot restaurants across the street. As for which one Jiang Xiao Li was in, he had no clue.
After thinking for a few seconds, Tong Yi decided to call Jiang Li again. The phone was quickly picked up, and he could tell she was probably eating because her voice sounded a little muffled.
“Big Nephew, what is it this time?”
Tong Yi hesitated, “Is the hotpot good?”
“Yeah, pretty good,” Jiang Li responded. “It tastes different from the hotpot in Minjiang, but it has its own unique flavor. You should come try it sometime.”
“You didn’t even tell me which hotpot place it is. How am I supposed to try it? That’s not very helpful,” Tong Yi muttered quietly.
Jiang Li really hadn’t paid attention to the name of the restaurant, so she glanced at Wen Wan sitting across from her and asked, “What’s the name of this place?”
Before Wen Wan could answer, Lin Zhao smiled and said the name of the hotpot restaurant.
Jiang Li was about to repeat the name, but Tong Yi had already heard Lin Zhao’s voice clearly. “I’m actually right outside this hotpot place. Can I join you for a meal?” He quickly said.
Jiang Li was incredulous. “Although you are my nephew, you’re already an adult. I’ve told you that this is my friend’s treat, and now you’re asking to join us for free food? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Tong Yi hurriedly clarified, “Then I’ll treat all of you this time, is that okay? I haven’t had a hotpot in ages. Please, have mercy on me and help persuade your friend.”
Jiang Li: “…” This Big Nephew of hers… seemed to be behaving so strangely today! What’s so great about hotpot that he was willing to sacrifice his dignity for it?
Although Jiang Li wasn’t on speakerphone, Wen Wan was close enough to roughly guess the conversation. What caught her attention was how Jiang Li called the person on the other end ‘nephew.’ Wasn’t that the same person she had shipped with Jiang Li?!
“Let him come!” Wen Wan tugged on Jiang Li’s sleeve and whispered, “We can just order more dishes.”
Jiang Li nodded and spoke into her phone, “We’re in Room 9. If you’re coming, hurry up. If you’re late, you’ll only get the leftover broth.”
After saying that, Jiang Li hung up again.
Wen Wan, seeing Jiang Li hang up, gave her a curious look and asked, “Was that Tong Yi who called you just now?”
Jiang Li nodded. “Yeah, not sure what’s gotten into him today. He’s insisting on crashing our meal.”
Wen Wan smiled. “I know why! It’s that whole ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ thing. He probably just misses you so badly.”
Lin Zhao lightly tapped Wen Wan’s head. “Don’t say things like that. You might upset your new friend.”
Wen Wan looked nervously at Jiang Li. “Will you get mad? If it bothers you, I won’t say stuff like that again.”
While munching on her food, Jiang Li replied, “It’s not that serious, but my big nephew has these occasional crazy outbursts. I can’t guarantee he won’t get annoyed.” Though Tong Yi generally seemed mild-tempered, he wouldn’t hesitate to give someone a hard time if they provoked him. And that barbed tongue of his, in particular, was quite vicious.
Five minutes later, Tong Yi found the private room Jiang Li told him and immediately froze upon realizing there were three people inside. When Jiang Li answered the phone earlier, she had said she was having lunch with a new friend. Naturally, he had assumed the male voice belonged to her new friend. But now, it seemed he might have misunderstood the situation?
Seeing Tong Yi standing frozen in the doorway, Jiang Li called to him, “Weren’t you eager to eat hotpot? Why aren’t you coming in?”
Tong Yi walked in and casually sat next to Jiang Li. Smiling at the two people across from him, he friendly introduced himself, “I’m Tong Yi, Jiang Xiao Li’s best friend. It’s nice to meet you both.”
To Wen Wan, Tong Yi was still just her friend’s ‘nephew,’ not someone she was particularly close to, so she simply waved shyly with a polite smile.
Lin Zhao smiled and introduced himself, “I’m Lin Zhao. We’re actually both first-year students at the same university and in the same department.”
Tong Yi was surprised, “You know who I am?”
Lin Zhao nodded. “You and Qin Zheng are quite well-known among us first years.”
Capital University was never short on provincial top scorers, but both Tong Yi and Qin Zheng were top scorers across nine provinces, and their record-breaking scores naturally drew a lot of attention.
Tong Yi put on a modest smile. “I just got lucky on the exam. It’s really not a big deal.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but think: ‘Am I sounding mature and reliable now?’
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