Mu Jianling dropped a comment and strode off with a swagger of pride in his steps, his silhouette effortlessly cool and dominant.
Leaving behind a crowd of pig faces, no! A crowd of students exchanging glances, collectively disheveled by the wind...
Ji You stood among them, shooting a glance at the likes of Shen Changqing, Chu Jiaojiao, Yue Qiguang... They may all have pig faces and looked mighty ugly, but none were as creatively ugly as Sheng Qingyan. Who knew whom Sheng Qingyan managed to offend? Half of his face was swollen, the other half bruised, one eye socket red, the other black... Ji You couldn’t help but laugh maliciously, "Sheng Qingyan, gotta say, your look is quite unique."
Sheng Qingyan stamped his foot in anger, "Unique your head, your whole family is unique... you’re annoying the heck out of me, Little Cutie."
Ji You, hands on hips, was about to burst into raucous laughter when suddenly she tugged at her injured lip, forcing her face to freeze in an effort to contain her laughter, and said, "Such a ’Spicy Eye’ Little Cutie I’m seeing for the first time. I’ve never encountered such a sight before."
Sheng Qingyan glared at her and said, "You’re not getting a ride in the Floating Car today."
With that, he turned and left.
Chu Jiaojiao sidled up close, staring at Ji You’s face for a few seconds. There was undeniable concern and helplessness in her eyes and voice, "Ji You, does it hurt? Do you want to go to the infirmary now? I’ll pay!"
The corner of Ji You’s mouth twitched, "It doesn’t hurt."
Upon hearing this, Chu Jiaojiao hurriedly said, "Don’t worry about the money, whatever it costs, I’ll cover it."
Ji You gave her a sideward glance, "Why so generous all of a sudden?"
Chu Jiaojiao scratched her head, saying, "For Ji You’s face, it’s all worth it."
As she spoke, she flashed Ji You a foolish grin... But on that pig face, such a smile was not only sleazy but also terrifying. Ji You felt waves of chills...
Ji You shivered and said, "Stop smiling, it’s creepy."
Sheng Qingyan had already slipped away, and without a convenient ride, Ji You had no choice but to hitch a lift with honest Shen Changqing. His face as stiff as a pig’s, he didn’t stop her, and Chu Jiaojiao, Yue Qiyuan, Yue Qiguang all took advantage of the situation and clambered in too.
Shen Changqing glanced at them but said nothing.
Ji You chuckled and gave Shen Changqing a wink, "Look at how stingy you all are. Shen Changqing is the only one who’s truly generous and loving, right?"
Shen Changqing: "..."
Quietly turning his head, Shen Changqing avoided Ji You’s gaze, looking out the window instead.
Along the way, the group bantered; the self-driving Floating Car took everyone toward the canteen...
In the canteen hall, it was packed with crowds, and as usual, the line for braised pork ribs was long, very long. Ji You took the lead in queueing up, with Shen Changqing closely following, and Chu Jiaojiao, Yue Qiyuan, Yue Qiguang, and others also swiftly followed suit.
Finally, it was Ji You’s turn.
At the food serving window, He Bi caught a glimpse of Ji You’s face and didn’t recognize her at first. Expressionless, he asked, "What would you like, student?"
Inhaling the enticing aroma of braised pork ribs, Ji You’s stomach began to growl with craving, but—
Ji You held back and gritted her teeth, "Senior He Bi, give me a serving of bean sprouts with green vegetables." Both bean sprouts and green vegetables were natural foods, fast-growing, and hence quite affordable. Consequently, the school canteen had set a very low price for students, just 1 point for a meal.
Surprised, He Bi looked up, "Yo—Who’s this tycoon who’s sick of rich food and wants to try some plain congee and sides?"
Ji You, with a face full of misery, said, "Senior He Bi, stop mocking me and just serve the food quickly..." Otherwise, she was close to breaking down and ordering the braised pork ribs instead.
Right now, she only had a total of 250 points, which wasn’t even enough for one Medicine Bath. How could she afford to splurge?
Poverty was this frustrating.
He Bi eyed Ji You’s pig face, raising an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"
Ji You clenched her teeth: "Sure, most definitely, and positively sure!"
"Alright then." He Bi grabbed the serving spoon, smoothly starting to scoop up food, but —
Ji You stared at He Bi’s classic shaking-the-spoon move in shock, "Senior, enough already, geez, it’s just bean sprouts and green vegetables, what are you shaking the spoon for?"
He Bi gave her a look, not stopping his hand, and said: "Is that even human talk? Are vegetables not food now? Do vegetables not have costs?"
Ji You watched as a heap of bean sprouts in the spoon began to fall off...
As for the green vegetables, Senior He Bi was even more ruthless, his arm rhythmically shaking, after a few spoon movements, the pieces of green vegetable leaves neatly lined up on Ji You’s plate. Count them carefully:
Just 20 pieces of green vegetables! It sounds like a lot, but after a few bites, they were gone. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel_fіre.net
Ji You said with a poker face: "Senior, why is the portion so small? I suspect you did it on purpose."
Senior He Bi grinned and said: "Fellow student, please refrain from slandering any dedicated, noble canteen staff... This is the normal amount; if you don’t believe it, go weigh it." Saying this, he raised his hand, tapped on the menu board next to him, and continued: "The amount for each dish is clearly and plainly written right here..."
She looked up, scrutinized the menu board and found it to be just as He Bi had said...
Ji You stiffly grabbed her plate and before she left, she glared at He Bi, "Senior, you’re not just a jerk, you’re a jerk in every sense of the word."
This time, He Bi was not at all irritated by her words, but smiled and said: "Ji You, I look forward to welcoming you again."
Ji You left the food-serving window, grinding her teeth.
At this moment, Ji You missed her immortal senior even more.
Ever since Senior Shi Ya wasn’t in the canteen, Ji You realized what it felt like to be out of favor and experienced what ’peak shaking-the-spoon’ skills meant. Ji You believed that no one could compare to scumbag He Bi in the art of spoon shaking.
Did Senior Shi Ya ever receive her gift?
Ji You found a seat, set down her plate, then hurriedly checked her inbox, finding no message from Senior Shi Ya.
Ji You picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of bean sprouts, which normally would be sweet and tender but suddenly tasted bland...
Chu Jiaojiao came with her plate and sat next to her.
Following her was Shen Changqing.
Then came Yue Qiyuan, Yue Qiguang...
Next were Lou, Lance, and others.
Everyone sat down, wordlessly started to eat, and their eating speed was several times faster than usual. Not just them, all students of the Combat Department from the 131st batch were frantically devouring their food with all energies.
The laughter of the seniors and senior sisters could be heard throughout the canteen: "Where did these pig faces come from?"