"Alright." Spicy Girl reached out and gripped Shi Nian’s hand tightly, two lines of tears silently sliding down: "Here, no one has ever treated me . N, thank you."
After crying enough, Spicy Girl fell into a drowsy sleep.
Shi Nian accompanied her, also lying down to sort through her own thoughts.
As evening came, it was time for dinner. Seeing Spicy Girl still asleep in a daze, she quietly got up and went to the dining hall to get food for her.
When she walked out, the whole suite was quiet, as if everyone was gone, off to eat. Shi Nian went to knock on the doors of the other three rooms, confirmed there was no one, then left a note for Spicy Girl on the fridge and locked the suite’s main door firmly from outside.
The school’s cafeteria was quite nice, with first-rate settings and appealing dishes. She hesitated over what to get for Spicy Girl to satisfy her Sichuan-style craving for spicy food when her elbow was gently tapped.
Shi Nian quickly turned around and met Mark’s eyes, black with a hint of blue.
"Hi, are you also getting food?" Shi Nian hurriedly greeted him.
Mark sighed slightly: "I followed you from the dorm all the way, wondering how long it would take for you to notice me. I initially thought five minutes, then extended to ten minutes... yet you walked all the way to the cafeteria and stood by the counter without looking back once."
Shi Nian opened her mouth awkwardly: "Well... I’m really sorry."
Taking advantage of his height and long arms, Mark helped Shi Nian choose the dishes she wanted, smiling as he asked: "What were you thinking about so intently along the way?"
Shi Nian was naturally thinking about the little conflict earlier, but she didn’t want to mention it, so she smiled and shook her head: "Nothing, just daydreaming."
Mark then paused, gazing deeply at her. After a while, he said: "Actually, you don’t have to hide from me, just now... I saw it too."
"Oh?" Shi Nian was also startled.
"I told you, my professor suddenly took leave, so I had no classes after the behavior analysis course. You were kept for a test, and I was a bit disinterested, so I skipped basketball and went straight back to the dorm. Taking advantage of no one being there, I went to the balcony to read. There is a row of green plants in the corner of the balcony; it is very quiet there and blocks people’s sight... I was so focused I didn’t notice the three of them came in later." Thɪs chapter is updated by n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
"After they came in, they started arguing. Naturally, I couldn’t go out, so I had to wait until they were done. They probably didn’t expect someone on the balcony first, or it was thanks to the green plants’ cover, that they didn’t notice each other, causing awkwardness."
Shi Nian frowned, looking down: "So you watched Spicy Girl get hit?"
Mark was quite embarrassed, "Sorry... it’s just because it was a matter among you girls, and I thought it might involve personal emotional conflicts, so I really couldn’t intervene."
"Forget it." Shi Nian forced a smile, "Maybe it’s because of your quarter Chinese blood, you’re just as reserved as us Eastern people."
"I suppose." Mark smiled: "I actually feel that I’m not just a quarter Chinese blood, I feel my heart leans more towards the East, towards China."
Since they ran into each other, Shi Nian naturally joined Mark at a table to eat.
Gradually, other dorm mates, S, Marina, and Zhong Kui also arrived. S and Marina, upon seeing her, stood at a distance saying something quietly, their expressions chilly.
Mark noticed too and gently advised: "Don’t mind them."
Shi Nian smiled and nodded, continuing to eat.
Still worried about Spicy Girl, she ate her meal quickly. Mark laughed silently: "In such a hurry to leave? Is it really boring eating with me?"
"Not at all." Shi Nian said awkwardly: "Spicy Girl hasn’t eaten yet, and I’ve locked the suite’s main door from outside. I’m afraid she’ll wake up wanting to go out but can’t."
Mark laughed, pointing to the phone in her hand: "She would call your mobile."
"Oh." Shi Nian smiled apologetically: "I totally forgot about it."
Thus, she had to relax and eat the meal at a normal pace.
Mark ate elegantly and gracefully, with a white napkin laid on his trousers. Shi Nian couldn’t help but think, that in this era, it’s rare to see boys with this kind of dining manner, perhaps his family background has traces of nobility.
Feeling her gaze, Mark looked over with a smile: "Why are you staring at me? Do I have food on my face?"
"No," Shi Nian quickly denied, "I was thinking how elegant your eating manner is; it’s rare in boys nowadays."