6 006.

For most high school seniors, nothing is more important than the upcoming college entrance exam next year. However, studying from dawn until dusk without a break is exhausting, so both boys and girls inevitably use their spare time to find a bit of entertainment.

After the lights were turned off in the boys' dormitory, the conversation frequently turned to the girls.

Zhang Yunyi was mentioned more than anyone else. Perhaps to defend the dignity of Class 3, the boys unanimously agreed that across the entire senior grade—at least among the science classes—she was the prettiest. Of course, there were always weak voices of dissent; aesthetics are subjective, after all, and even the most stunning beauties in the entertainment industry have their detractors who find them unattractive.

Fei Shijie grinned, still feeling flattered. In such a mood, he couldn't be bothered to hold a grudge against that unfilial son, Chen Kuo, for kicking him.

The two walked out of the classroom and headed to the stairwell on the other side.

"Tell me, why would she ask me to bring her coffee?" Fei Shijie asked with a silly grin.

Chen Kuo replied, "..."

Still not quite back to his senses, Chen Kuo asked, "Is something wrong with you?"

"Get lost!"

Despite the bickering, Fei Shijie quickly regained his composure as they descended the stairs. People do indeed fantasize about things that make them happy, but one shouldn't get too carried away. Humility and self-awareness are virtues; one shouldn't catch the disease of letting their imagination run wild just because a beautiful girl says a few words to them.

"She’s really hardworking, though. I had a cup of iced coffee over the summer and couldn't sleep until three in the morning," Fei Shijie said, still feeling a lingering fear at the thought. "It’s different now that we’re seniors."

Zhang Yunyi was certainly not a poor student, but she wasn't among the most diligent ones either. She was still a bit playful; back in her junior year, she would sneak out the moment class ended, always chasing after wherever the excitement was.

Now that even she had to rely on coffee to stay alert, the usually relaxed Fei Shijie felt a sense of urgency. "No way, whatever reference books you buy later, I’m getting one too!"

Chen Kuo glanced at him sideways. "Improving your English would be more useful than anything else."

Fei Shijie just felt a headache coming on. "I really hate those foreigners."

Chen Kuo ignored him as they reached the bottom of the stairs, walked out of the teaching building, and merged into the crowd.

The school canteen had many windows and a rich variety of food, but just like eating at home, one eventually gets tired of it no matter how good it tastes. Xu Shishi and her roommates went to buy instant noodles, while Zhang Yunyi stayed with Dai Jia. Zhang Yunyi found everything fresh; only after starting work—or in this case, returning to this life—did she realize how delicious the canteen food actually was compared to how much she had disliked it as a student.

"What are you eating?" Dai Jia asked, clutching her wallet.

Zhang Yunyi was already famished and wanted to eat everything in sight. She bought a braised chicken leg almost as big as her palm and a bowl of cold noodles, while Dai Jia bought rice. Zhang Yunyi stared at the stir-fried bean sprouts and tomato-scrambled eggs on her friend's tray and asked in confusion, "Why didn't you buy any meat?"

Dai Jia picked up an egg coated in tomato sauce with her chopsticks. "This is it."

In Zhang Yunyi’s mind, there was no way eggs could be considered a meat dish, and she was the first to object. "I mean meat..."

"I ate it at every meal at home during the summer, I’m sick of it."

Dai Jia offered a very good excuse, though Zhang Yunyi remained suspicious. If it were any other classmate, she might have wondered if Dai Jia was short on pocket money, but such speculation was unnecessary for someone like her. Dai Jia’s father and her own father were both in the public security system, and her mother worked for a state-owned enterprise; their family background was quite good by local standards. Zhang Yunyi wanted to press further, but seeing how much Dai Jia was enjoying her bean sprouts, she swallowed her words. Instead, she used her chopsticks to pull the braised chicken meat—which fell off the bone easily—and piled it onto the rice on Dai Jia's tray.

"It's braised to perfection, Sister Jia, try it~"

Dai Jia was taken aback, then smiled. "Mm!"

The two shared their lunch, and after finishing, they walked back to the dormitory arm in arm. With a two-hour lunch break, they had to sleep to replenish their energy; otherwise, they would be too drowsy to pay attention during the four classes in the afternoon.

The campus seemed to sink into silence.

Zhang Yunyi rinsed her mouth and quickly climbed to her top bunk, intending to memorize a few words. To her surprise, she fell into a deep sleep within two minutes of closing her eyes—but before drifting off, she prayed devoutly once more to return to being twenty-seven.

...

At seventeen or eighteen, one could eat an entire cow if hungry.

The back street was where students went to satisfy their cravings. Competition among snack shops was fierce, and those that were unpalatable or overpriced didn't last long. Chen Kuo was dragged by Fei Shijie to a small Korean restaurant. The menu was gaudy and chaotic; he disliked wasting energy on such things, so his slender fingers simply tapped the top-selling bibimbap.

"Dai Jia said this place tastes great."

Fei Shijie asked again, "You’re just having bibimbap? Why not order some Korean fried chicken too?"

Chen Kuo shook his head. "Don't mind me, I'm not eating it."

Fei Shijie flipped through the menu, his eyes drawn to the bright red tteokbokki and spicy beef soup. After hesitating for a moment, he ordered the beef soup and fried chicken. The shop was bustling, and the staff were overwhelmed. Chen Kuo already regretted coming here; he grew impatient, resting his forehead on his hand and looking down at his watch.

Great.

Half an hour had passed since they placed their order.

Fei Shijie was also starving, but since it was his choice of restaurant, he had to keep up appearances and offer awkward praise. "All the girls in class love eating here, it can't be wrong. Maybe after we try it once, we'll come back again."

Chen Kuo’s tone was flat: "I won't be coming a second time."

That was a bit of a slap in the face. Fei Shijie snapped, "Don't speak so definitively."

Perhaps because they had waited so long, they were both ravenous. When the waiter finally brought the food, their expectations were at an all-time high. Fei Shijie took a sip of the beef soup, his taste buds instantly awakened, and he asked vaguely, "How is it?"

Chen Kuo mixed his rice and took a bite. His expression remained unchanged. "Average."

They spent too much time eating and could only rush to the bookstore to buy their reference materials. The last stop was the bubble tea shop, which sold all kinds of drinks. The iced coffee was a summer limited edition and hadn't been taken off the menu yet. Fei Shijie had run out of small change and only had a few hundred-yuan bills in his wallet.

The clerk was a very young girl and looked troubled.

The coffee only cost six yuan. She had just received a hundred-yuan bill five minutes ago, and receiving another one now made her worry she wouldn't have enough change for the rest of the day.

"I'll pay."

Chen Kuo handed over the small change. The clerk took it gratefully and handed him the packaged iced coffee.

The two crossed the zebra crossing and walked toward the school. Fei Shijie had finished all the spicy beef soup; it was salty and spicy, and he was thirsty. Before reaching the teaching building, he changed his mind and tapped Chen Kuo on the shoulder. "I'm dying of thirst, I'm going to go buy some water. You go on ahead."

With that, he trotted toward the small supermarket, a nimble and agile fatty.

Chen Kuo naturally didn't wait for him, carrying the coffee into the stairwell. It was very quiet—quiet enough to hear his own footsteps. If he hadn't waited so long at that restaurant, he would be back in the dorm catching up on sleep right now.

It was already 1:30 PM; there was no point in going back to the dorm.

He climbed the stairs and passed several classrooms. Class 3 was quite empty at this hour. Glancing through the open back door, he saw only two or three people, all slumped over their desks sleeping. He moved quietly, trying not to disturb anyone. Just as he was one step away from Zhang Yunyi’s desk, a strange boy, who had entered at some point, reached out his arm holding a jelly. As their eyes met, Chen Kuo had already placed the packaged iced coffee on the desk, which was piled with colorful notebooks.

The boy froze instantly.

He knew this was Zhang Yunyi’s desk and had specifically come early today to bring her a treat. The jelly wasn't expensive, so there was no need to leave his name.

But what was happening now?? Never mind what relationship the Class 3 monitor had with Zhang Yunyi; just based on the price of the gifts alone, he had lost.

It seemed like only a few seconds, but his brain was racing. In a flash of inspiration, he retracted his hand—how could one be this quick-witted?—placed the jelly on the desk behind hers, and turned to run out. Only Chen Kuo remained in the aisle. His gaze swept over the heart-shaped jelly, and he vaguely guessed the sequence of events. Finding it somewhat amusing, he let out a laugh and returned to his seat.

Meanwhile.

Zhang Yunyi viciously turned off her alarm and climbed down from her top bunk with a grumble. The dormitory windows were open, letting the wind whistle in and ruffle the textbooks on the table. Several girls were crowded around the sink washing their faces; none had slept enough, yet they all washed up and put on their shoes at maximum speed, not daring to waste a single second.

Returning to the classroom in a rush, Zhang Yunyi was still fuming until she saw the iced coffee on her desk, the ice already beginning to melt. Her expression changed in a second; the corners of her mouth lifted, and she quickly found the straw in the bag, pierced the lid, and took a cautious sip.

It was very, very sweet; she had to concentrate on the tip of her tongue just to taste a tiny hint of coffee.

Still, it was better than nothing.

She peeked over, but Fei Shijie wasn't there. She would ask him how much it cost after class.

Xu Shishi was also listless, propping her chin up and dozing off.

"Ah! Ah—!"

Suddenly, a marmot-like scream came from behind them, startling them so much they shivered. They turned around to face Shen Mingrui’s face, which was twisted in surprise.

Xu Shishi scolded, "Are you sick?!"

Zhang Yunyi rolled her eyes at him.

Shen Mingrui held that heart-shaped jelly in his hands, his voice trembling. "Who sent this?"

He looked at Zhang Yunyi and Xu Shishi expectantly.

Naturally, he wasn't hoping that the heart was from either of them; he hoped for a negative answer. After all, these two girls had the kind of ruthless air that said, "Even if all the men in the world died, I wouldn't look at you."

Zhang Yunyi shifted her gaze, and Xu Shishi met her eyes.

The next second, Xu Shishi wanted to strangle her, crying out, "Zhang Yunyi, why are you looking at me!!"

Zhang Yunyi decisively looked away and apologized sincerely, "Sister, I'm sorry, forgive me, I haven't woken up yet..."

Hearing this conversation, which would make one's heart feel as cold as a fish-gutting knife, Shen Mingrui didn't care at all. His heart surged with excitement as he said confidently and firmly: "Someone has a crush on me."