Ever since that first meeting at the shop with Zong Yongran, Tang Yuanyuan would often bump into him whenever she was out to buy something. Like when Zhang Xiaolu suddenly said she wanted some mango-flavored drink from a store by the school gate and begged Tang Yuanyuan to buy it for her, Tang Yuanyuan just happened to run into him when she went there and he ended up paying for the bill again.
On another occasion, they were out eating hotpot together and also met him there. Coincidentally, there were no more seats left at the restaurant that day, so they naturally formed a table together.
Tang Yuanyuan originally wanted to eat mandarin duck hotpot, but Zong Yongran went ahead and ordered a clear soup base for them.
“You’re so considerate, Yongran. You know that Yuanyuan can’t eat spicy food so you ordered a clear soup base. How sweet!”
“Yeah. Is there a more caring senior out there?”
While Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan continued to flatter Zong Yongran in front of Tang Yuanyuan, Zong Yongran stayed calm and kept a small smile on the corners of his lips.
At the same time, Tang Yuanyuan felt extremely out of place as she had a feeling that Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan were intentionally trying to bring her and Zong Yongran together.
She was a bit reluctant, but she also wanted to see if she did indeed lack in her interactions with guys. Either way, she was completely at odds with herself.
Midway through eating, Zhang Xiaolu picked up a call that needed her and Yuan Yuehan to head back first. The both of them shot each other a meaningful glance and stood up.
“Yuanyuan, there are some things we need to take care of right now. You should take your time and eat here with Yongran.”
“Huh? What things?” Tang Yuanyuan also stood up. “Should I come along?”
“It’s nothing major.” Yuan Yuehan pressed on Tang Yuanyuan’s shoulders and pushed her back down into the seat. Smiling at Zong Yongran, she said, “Yongran, look after Yuanyuan for us. You have to keep a close eye on her, okay? We’ll come looking for you if anything happens to her.”
After that, they left the place in haste.
The corners of Tang Yuanyuan’s lips started to twitch from the awkwardness.
“Don’t be nervous.” Zong Yongran seemed to have sensed her distress and smiled at her. “They mean well, but you don’t seem willing. Just treat me as a friend.”
A friend?
She let out a sigh of relief. “Okay.”
His hand stopped abruptly. It did not seem like he was expecting her to answer so quickly. “You didn’t even hesitate to answer. It kind of hurts.”
“Huh?” She did not know how to respond for a moment. “Sorry, Yongran. I just—”
“It’s fine; you don’t have to explain. It hasn’t been that long since we met. I don’t have other intentions either so don’t feel pressured, okay?”
She nodded her head. Despite saying that they would just be friends, he kept putting food in her bowl for her. He kept looking after her—so much so that he did not get to eat much himself.
Feeling uncomfortable as she ate, her mind somehow wandered to Yuchi Yishu.
If only Yishu was here eating hotpot with me instead.
She could not help but sigh at the thought of him. How long had it been since they last met? Since the semester started, she did not really want to see him anymore. He had also gotten busier and did not normally have time to see her. Even when he was finally able to relax and have some free time, she did not go to see him.
Just like that, the two of them had not seen each other since the semester started.
In a way, Tang Yuanyuan was also avoiding him.
“What? We ran all the way here but there are still no seats left?”
“It can’t be. It’s like this every day. We never get a seat, and we can’t book in advance. Isn’t your shop too much of a cheat?”
“We’re really sorry, misters. We tend to get quite a lot of people in the evening. Perhaps you can consider coming a bit earlier tomorrow. Will that work?”
“Will what work? Who eats hotpot in broad daylight? Don’t people usually eat it at night? If there aren’t enough seats, can’t you just put in more? For goodness sake.”
Tang Yuanyuan thought she heard two unfamiliar yet familiar voices. Turning back around to look, she realized that it was the two roommates she met at Yuchi Yishu’s dorm last time.
They had only met once before and were not very close, so she did not feel comfortable with greeting them.
However, one of them looked over and made eye contact with her.
“Eh? Isn’t that Yishu’s sister?”
The other one also turned to look at her. “It really is. Yuanyuan, what are you doing here?”
“Hello.”
Tang Yuanyuan stood up and greeted the both of them. When they walked over, they realized that there was a guy at the table too. He was wearing glasses and seemed put-together; he looked like he was Tang Yuanyuan’s schoolmate.
“Are you eating hotpot with your friend, Yuanyuan?”
Zong Yongran stood up when they greeted him, and Tang Yuanyuan introduced them to each other. “Yongran, they are my brother’s schoolmates. This is Yongran, my senior at school.”
Zong Yongran smiled at the two people. “Are you guys looking for a seat? Do you want to sit with us?”
That table was originally meant to fit six people. They asked for a bigger table earlier when Zhang Xiaolu and Yuan Yuehan were with them. But since they left midway, there were now four empty seats left.
“Sure, if you guys don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
Once they sat down, Zong Yongran asked the waiter for two more sets of cutlery.
Tang Yuanyuan was already uncomfortable before. Now that there were two more people, she felt even more uneasy. Even though they were Yuchi Yishu’s friends, she was not close to them.
One of them stood up after ordering and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
But when he left, he immediately picked up his phone and called Yuchi Yishu.
Jiang Yu and Yuchi Yishu were schoolmates, but they did not normally call each other for no apparent reason. This time, he was calling Yuchi Yishu about Tang Yuanyuan.
When the call went through, Yuchi Yishu’s bleak tone came through the phone.
“What is it?”
“Yishu.” Jiang Yu dragged out the end of his name. “I came out to eat hotpot with Yi Huasheng today. Can you guess who we met?” There was silence on the other end and no indication that Yuchi Yishu would play along.
“Hurry up and guess, Yishu.”
“I’m really busy here. If there’s nothing else, then I’ll—”
“We met your sister! Who would have thought?”
Yuchi Yishu paused. “My sister?”
“Yeah. The one who came to our dorm last time.”
Meeting Tang Yuanyuan at a hotpot shop was not unusual and Yuchi Yishu was not bothered by it. After all, she was a little foodie.
The only thing that unsettled him was how she had been trying to avoid him lately.
“Mm-hmm.”
“Yishu, your sister has grown to be so beautiful. There’s even someone pursuing her now. The young lad eating hotpot with her is so caring toward her.”
“What did you say?”
