[Xu Yu (Profile stays the same until I rank #1): Near the back door of the second cafeteria, pretend it's a coincidence—don't make it too obvious.]
After Xu Yu gave the location, Zhang Lili immediately turned to Su Ning with excitement. "Let's go, Ningning. Let's take a look!"
The girl pouted cutely at Su Ning, batting her long lashes like tiny fans, which left Su Ning both amused and exasperated.
At that moment, Su Ning was dining with Zhang Lili and Tao Shan in the first cafeteria. The food there was better than what they served in the second cafeteria, though it came at a higher price. Su Ning was known for her generosity and frequently treated her close friends to meals there.
When she heard that Zhang Lili intended to see Zhou Yi, Su Ning instinctively tensed up. She had initially planned to decline, but the words slipped out differently: "Fine, I'm just accompanying you."
Her tone carried a hint of pride, and her usually aloof demeanor softened into an unexpected charm.
Tao Shan and Zhang Lili cheered joyfully, "Great!"
The trio made their way to the rear exit of the first cafeteria, where they spotted Zhou Yi and Xu Yu sitting together.
"Listen," Zhang Lili whispered as a reminder, "when we get there, I'll say I'm looking for Xu Yu. Don't blow our cover."
Su Ning nodded and approached Zhou Yi's table with feigned disinterest.
"Xu Yu! So this is where you've been hiding. I've been searching everywhere for you!" Zhang Lili announced loudly, drawing everyone's attention.
Without hesitation, Zhang Lili sat down on the empty side of the table, pulling Su Ning and Tao Shan along with her.
"Since you're still eating, we'll wait right here," she declared cheerfully, addressing Wang Yang. "You don't mind, do you?"
Seeing Su Ning seated among them, none of the boys could bring themselves to ask them to leave. Wang Yang blushed and stammered, "No, no problem... please, sit wherever you'd like."
Su Ning tilted her chin slightly upward, projecting an air of indifference. However, her gaze inadvertently drifted toward Zhou Yi.
He sat diagonally across from her, his striking features standing out even among the group of handsome young men. Although Su Ning wasn't one to judge by appearances, she found herself momentarily captivated by his presence.
Ever since Su Ning and her friends arrived, Zhou Yi had remained silent—a stark contrast to the infatuation he had once confessed in his diary. His demeanor now seemed distant, almost cold.
Noticing this, Zhang Lili cleared her throat and tried to strike up a conversation. "Zhou Yi, this is the first time I've seen you having lunch with Xu Yu and the others. What's the occasion?"
Bold and naturally outgoing, Zhang Lili didn't hesitate to engage despite Zhou Yi's reserved nature.
"Yes, it is," he replied indifferently, his voice devoid of enthusiasm.
Undeterred, Zhang Lili pressed on. "You really made headlines today. Should we start calling you 'Genius Zhou' from now on?"
Zhou Yi set down his chopsticks and responded calmly, "It's not a big deal. I took the test casually—it might have been luck."
Tao Shan chimed in teasingly, "Oh, come off it! How did you deliberately score so poorly before? Did you suddenly undergo some miraculous overnight transformation? Share your secrets, Genius Zhou!"