Chapter 69 Delicious!

The boy in the blue and white school uniform sprinted ahead, glancing back as he ran. Seeing everyone else left far behind, a triumphant grin spread across his face.

Mao Sheng could only watch as the distance between himself and Lu Yuanqiu grew wider and wider, until finally, he was swallowed up by the surging crowd.

It was only then that he realized, no matter how strong his eight-hundred-meter dash was, it was still just on the track.

If the cafeteria were a battlefield, then at this moment, Lu Yuanqiu was the vanguard, charging right into the fray!

He dashed through the glass doors of the first-floor cafeteria. The cleaning lady quickly drew her mop back as she saw him approach. Lu Yuanqiu noticed the wet patches on the floor and immediately steadied himself.

Turning his body slightly, raising his arms, he slid handsomely across the floor and landed right in front of Window No. 5.

The cleaning lady glanced over her shoulder at him, just about to resume mopping when she happened to look outside. She was so startled by what she saw that she shrank back again.

A pack of hungry wolves, each one vying to be first, rushed into the cafeteria and lined up behind Lu Yuanqiu.

Pressed forward by a series of fierce shoves from behind, Lu Yuanqiu had no choice but to brace himself against the counter with both arms.

Ge Ritian could never be at the front of the line... Lu Yuanqiu thought to himself, since he’d heard that dear Director Ge had come down with hemorrhoids.

Many people slipped and fell along the way. Lu Yuanqiu craned his neck and saw that Mao Sheng was only in the middle of the line, casting a resentful look his way.

Lu Yuanqiu smiled and looked away.

The students had arrived early, and the glass door at Window No. 5 had yet to be opened.

As Lu Yuanqiu waited, a roar suddenly came from the back of the line.

"Lu Yuanqiu! To hell with your whole family!"

He turned and saw Zhong Jincheng, waving his meal card, relegated to the very end of the line outside the cafeteria, shouting curses at him from afar.

Lu Yuanqiu spun around and, with a solemn face, raised his arms above his head to form a heart, then blew an exaggerated kiss toward Zhong Jincheng with a mocking expression.

Furious, Zhong Jincheng stomped his feet in place.

At that moment, a fair-skinned, handsome boy in a school uniform strolled into the cafeteria. With a languid stretch and a yawn, he sauntered lazily from the back of the line straight to the front, right up to Lu Yuanqiu.

"Nice work on your chest," Zheng Yifeng remarked, patting Lu Yuanqiu’s chest before turning to leave.

Lu Yuanqiu quietly slipped his hand to his side, catching the meal card that fell from his chest.

Sleepyhead turned and winked at him with a grin.

This guy...

Alright then, three servings of Bandit Duck.

Window No. 5 finally opened, and Lu Yuanqiu ordered three servings, swiping his own card for all of them.

He brought one portion over to Zheng Yifeng’s table.

"Thanks, brother."

"No problem."

Lu Yuanqiu handed the card back to Zheng Yifeng, noticing that Zheng always ate alone. Yet he always chose a seat right in the middle of the cafeteria, as if he didn’t care one bit about having company.

Carrying the other two servings of Bandit Duck, Lu Yuanqiu found a seat near the corner.

Before long, a graceful girl in a blue and white uniform, with a pink backpack on her shoulders, appeared at the cafeteria door.

The moment Bai Qingxia entered, she drew the attention of many; some even paused mid-bite, eyes fixed on the entrance.

Rare and pleasing to the eye.

The odds of seeing the girl with the single ponytail appear in the cafeteria had finally risen to one percent today.

Lu Yuanqiu raised his hand high to catch her eye. Bai Qingxia, looking lost under all those stares, spotted him at last and smiled gently. Relief washed over her as she hurried over to the corner, clutching her backpack strap.

She set her bag on the chair and sat across from Lu Yuanqiu. Resting her small hands on her knees, she looked around as if dissatisfied with how exposed the seat was.

"Eat up," Lu Yuanqiu said, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

Bai Qingxia nodded, glancing down to see that Bandit Duck was really just duck meat over rice. The duck was a rich, saucy brown, each piece coated in a savory glaze with flecks of red chili scattered throughout.

It looked delicious... Unable to help herself, the girl’s mouth watered as she stared.

She took a bite of rice first, swallowed, then cautiously picked up a piece of duck and placed it in her mouth.

Lu Yuanqiu noticed a hint of surprise cross her face; her small mouth chewed faster and faster. In less than two seconds, Bai Qingxia looked up, her eyes shining, sitting up a little straighter and smiling shyly as she declared, "It’s delicious."

After speaking, she bent her head again, taking mouthful after mouthful of rice before reluctantly picking up another piece of duck. Once she swallowed, she dabbed the sauce on her chopstick tip and pressed it to her lips.

At that moment, Bai Qingxia looked up sheepishly, sensing the boy’s gaze.

Lu Yuanqiu looked away and focused on his meal.

Bai Qingxia, still a bit guilty, lowered her head and slowed her pace, clearly embarrassed.

Lu Yuanqiu spoke, "Oh, the second thing I wanted to tell you is, my family’s planning to go out for a half-day trip during National Day. You should come along."

Bai Qingxia shook her head silently, taking small bites.

Lu Yuanqiu didn’t push her, speaking gently, "It won’t interfere with lunch or dinner, just that afternoon."

The girl hesitated, but still shook her head.

Lu Yuanqiu asked, "Is it because there’ll be people you don’t know? You probably haven’t met my little sister... She’s just a kid, you can ignore her."

Bai Qingxia remained silent.

In truth, she thought going out would cost money, and Lu Yuanqiu definitely wouldn’t let her pay. But Bai Qingxia didn’t want to take money from Lu Yuanqiu, or from Uncle Lu, or anyone else.

So for her, not going was best.

Going out for fun had always seemed like a luxury.

Ever since her father’s mental health declined, she hadn’t taken any kind of transportation.

Lu Yuanqiu took a deep breath. "What if I insist you come?"

Bai Qingxia kept her head down, frowning instinctively, ignoring him. From the look on her face, it seemed she was determined to resist his authority this time.

"I’m not going."

She didn’t look up, just kept eating, her voice stubborn.

Lu Yuanqiu let out a barely audible sigh and said no more.

Maybe it would be better to have his parents talk to her instead?

Bai Qingxia was already somewhat familiar with him, bold enough now to push back. But out of respect for elders, she might listen to Lu Tian and Su Xiaoya.

For now, Lu Yuanqiu set the matter aside and focused on his meal. Looking up during the meal, he noticed the girl sitting there, frowning.

Her plate was already spotless.

Lu Yuanqiu couldn’t help but smile; the sight was oddly satisfying.

But Bai Qingxia didn’t seem happy at all.

Seeing her expression, Lu Yuanqiu asked, "What’s wrong? Didn’t you like it?"

Bai Qingxia looked up at him anxiously, clenching her little fists. "I couldn’t help myself... I finished it all... I forgot to save some for my dad..."