Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Wen Miao finished her classes just after three in the afternoon.

Seeing that it was still early, she returned to her dorm to wash her hair. As she blow-dried it, she contemplated what to wear.

The clothes in her wardrobe were several years old. Although her mentor had given her a few project bonuses before, she had given a portion to Director Mom and couldn’t bring herself to touch the rest, leaving it sitting in her bank account.

After rummaging through her things, Wen Miao finally picked out a white dress that looked elegant and refined.

By the time she finished washing her hair and changing, it was already four-thirty.

Just as she was about to head out, Wen Tangtang sent a message to their small group chat of three.

Wen Tangtang: [How about eating at the Second Cafeteria today?]

Wen Xin: [Why? The Second Cafeteria is a bit far.]

Wen Tangtang: [It’s Monday! The Second Cafeteria has taro soup with lard cracklings!]

Wen Tangtang: [I want it so bad! If you go late, it’ll all be gone. You guys go early, ahhh-]

Taro soup with lard cracklings was Wen Tangtang’s absolute favorite. With that dish, she could eat an extra bowl of rice.

Wen Miao replied with a smile: [I have something going on tonight, so I won’t be eating with you guys.]

Wen Tangtang: [@Miao? What’s up?]

Wen Tangtang: [@WX Are you free right now? Hurry up and go grab a spot for me! I’m still in class.]

WX was Wen Xin’s WeChat name.

Wen Xin immediately replied with a helpless emoji.

Wen Miao hesitated for a long while, unsure of how to respond. She spent ages typing and deleting. Finally, she made up her mind to say she was going to a movie with Nan Mu when her WeChat pinged again.

Wen Tangtang: [By the way, get enough for three people!]

Wen Xin: [Are you a pig? One person eating two portions?]

Wen Tangtang: [It’s for my classmate Nan Mu. He likes taro soup with lard cracklings too, and said he’d eat with us.]

Wen Miao: ???

In that moment, she thought she had misread it. She even squeezed her eyes shut before reading the message again.

What was Nan Mu playing at?

She pulled up Nan Mu’s WeChat and sent a question mark, followed by a screenshot of the group chat.

There was no reply on WeChat.

Wen Miao waited for five minutes before her phone received a text message from Nan Mu.

Nan Mu: [Meet at the school gate at 5:00!]

Wen Miao checked her phone. Oh no! It was 4:55.

=

By the time Wen Miao ran to the school gate, Nan Mu was already there.

His outfit today was quite different from usual: a white shirt and coffee-colored casual pants. His sleeves were rolled up just below the elbows as he leaned against a tree, fiddling with a small booklet, seemingly deep in thought.

Wen Miao was breathing hard, her heart thumping from the run.

She stood at the gate for a few breaths to steady herself before walking over to him. “You came from the classroom, right? How were you faster than me?”

Nan Mu instinctively closed the booklet and stuffed it into his trouser pocket. He scanned Wen Miao from head to toe. “Let me think… maybe because my legs are longer?”

Wen Miao couldn’t help but laugh.

Nan Mu laughed along with her. His eyes were very striking-the corners were narrow and long, yet his eyelashes curled upward, giving him a captivating look when he smiled.

For a moment, Wen Miao couldn’t look away. Suddenly, Nan Mu raised his hand, reaching over her head.

The button of his cuff was practically right in front of her eyes. Wen Miao froze instantly, not daring to move an inch.

Her nose caught a faint scent of body wash.

“A leaf.”

Nan Mu plucked a fallen leaf from the top of her head and gave it a light flick, letting it drift to the ground.

Wen Miao let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief.

=

Before the movie, the two of them found a restaurant to eat.

Nan Mu had found the place while scrolling through a food review app in the taxi on his way to pick up Wen Miao.
The restaurant was clearly popular, with a dense crowd of people waiting outside. Fortunately, Nan Mu was used to making reservations; otherwise, they would likely still be standing in line.

Because the turnover rate was high, their table was ready as soon as they arrived. The previous guests had just left, and a server was busy wiping down the table.

The server who led them over pointed to a QR code at the corner of the table, reminding them that they could scan it with their phones to browse the menu and place their order.

The server cleaning the table finished quickly, gathered their supplies, and left.

Nan Mu glanced at Wen Miao’s white dress. He asked her to sit down and start picking out dishes on her phone while he took a napkin and meticulously wiped the table in front of her again to ensure she wouldn’t get her clothes dirty.

Wen Miao scrolled through the menu, asking as she made her selections, “What do you want to eat?”

“Anything is fine. You order.”

“Three-Cup Chicken and Hangzhou Three Delicacies?”

Nan Mu was busy scalding the utensils with hot tea and didn’t look up as he hummed in agreement. “Sure. Order two vegetable dishes as well.”

Once he finished with the utensils, Nan Mu stood up. “I’m going to the restroom to wash my hands. You keep picking.”

“Okay.”

Wen Miao watched Nan Mu walk away, then looked down and selected a dish of stir-fried greens. Suddenly, her eyes fell on the Taro Soup with Crispy Lard.

Her finger paused for a moment before she checked the box for it.

The restaurant was efficient; by the time Nan Mu returned, the greens had already been served.

It truly lived up to its reputation as the top-rated restaurant on the list; even a simple dish of stir-fried greens was a perfect blend of color, aroma, and taste.

As they were exchanging their thoughts on the food, the server brought out the Taro Soup with Crispy Lard.

Looking at the dish, Wen Miao suddenly laughed. “Did Wen Tangtang call to scold you? You ran off, and now I don’t know if she’ll be able to finish all that Taro Soup with Crispy Lard she ordered for you.”

Nan Mu let out a confused “Huh?”

He looked a bit dazed, prompting Wen Miao to ask teasingly, “Didn’t you see the WeChat message I sent you?”

Nan Mu grew tense instantly. He instinctively tapped his phone screen to light it up, but quickly pressed the button to turn it off again. “You sent me a message? What did it say?”

He wasn’t logged into WeChat on his phone. It wasn’t because he didn’t know the password, but because he didn’t dare to log in.

Fortunately, Wen Miao didn’t insist he check his messages. Instead, she revealed the answer directly. “When I was getting ready to head out today, Wen Tangtang said she was going to the Second Cafeteria for Taro Soup with Crispy Lard. She said you were going too, and even had Wen Xin order a portion for you.”

Nan Mu suddenly remembered that back in university, he really had followed Wen Tangtang to the Second Cafeteria to eat that soup.

But in reality…

He had only followed Wen Tangtang to the Second Cafeteria because he heard Wen Miao would be there. However, when he arrived that day, Wen Miao hadn’t shown up. After all this time, it turned out that “that day” was actually today.

Though he felt a flicker of panic in his heart, Nan Mu didn’t let it show on his face. He replied calmly and naturally, “It’s fine. I already told him I wasn’t going before I left. By the way, whatever you do, don’t mention this to her when you go back! Otherwise, she’ll definitely try to settle the score with me.”

“Mhm.” Wen Miao pushed the Taro Soup with Crispy Lard toward him and teased, “Then you should eat more of this.”

Nan Mu’s chopsticks hesitated for a split second, but he still reached out and took a bite.

“How is it?”

“Yeah. It’s quite good.”

Despite what Nan Mu said, Wen Miao noticed that he knit his brows slightly while eating the dish.

Was it not good? Wen Miao took a spoonful and thought it tasted fine; it was especially delicious when mixed with rice.

However, Nan Mu didn’t reach for the dish very often. By the time they finished their meal, a large portion of it remained.

Wen Miao found it a bit strange, but it wasn’t her place to say anything.

Afterward, the two of them went to see a movie.

But she couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but she felt as though Nan Mu was acting restless in the seat beside her.