Chapter 48: Eating barbecue

Su Cheng, gazing out from the balcony, felt a surge of delight, her arms flailing as she cheered with a radiant smile.

“Let the storm rage on even fiercer!”

Su Cheng now yearned to rush downstairs and bathe in the rain, reenacting a scene from The Shawshank Redemption.

Though she was yet unaware of her afternoon schedule, celebrating the absence of sun exposure was reason enough for jubilation.

Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, startling Su Cheng into a shiver and sending her scurrying back indoors.

“Which fellow Daoist is undergoing tribulation here? Huh?”

Su Cheng intently peered towards where the lightning had struck, only to find no trace of any ‘fellow Daoist,’ merely a cityscape of towering buildings.

“I say, Chengzi, have you gone a bit mad lately, starting to cultivate immortality?” Chen Xi glanced at Su Cheng, who stood by the balcony door, as if observing an idiot.

Su Cheng turned back, glaring at Chen Xi, and with a slight pout, retorted, “What do you know? Be careful, or I’ll strike you down with a divine lightning bolt to dispel evil, revealing your true form.”

“Oh, oh, oh, revealing my true form? I’m not a monster; *you* are, aren’t you?” Chen Xi’s voice took on a strange tone.

Su Cheng closed the glass balcony door, shutting out the wind and rain, then turned to Chen Xi. “Hmph, you wouldn’t understand. There’s no point in telling you.”

“Hey, hey, stop messing around, there’s an announcement!” Sun Xiaochen exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she held her phone.

“What is it? What announcement?”

Su Cheng was most intrigued, for it concerned her ability to peacefully ‘lie dead’ (TL Note: A slang term meaning to relax completely, doing nothing) in her dorm room.

“Don’t rush, let me see,” Sun Xiaochen said unhurriedly, opening the class group chat to read the latest message. “[@everyone Today’s military training is canceled. Everyone is free to arrange their own time. If it’s still raining heavily tomorrow morning, I will notify you separately.]”

“Yay! Woohoo!” Su Cheng bounced twice in place, like a mischievous imp.

“My heavens, you’re *that* excited?” Sun Xiaochen stared at Su Cheng, her lips twitching.

“Aren’t you excited? Isn’t it great not to have military training?”

Su Cheng vividly recalled that military training lasted only two weeks in total, and if it were delayed by rain, no extra time would be added to compensate.

This effectively meant a reduction in military training duration.

“You’re just overly excited, aren’t you?”

“Chen Xi, just ‘shou pi’ (TL Note: A Cantonese slang term meaning to shut up or stop talking nonsense), and watch your drama.”

Chen Xi merely smiled, saying nothing, while Su Cheng climbed into bed and burrowed back under her covers; such rainy weather was perfect for sleeping in.

“Don’t wake me for anything; I need to catch up on sleep,” Su Cheng told Sun Xiaochen and Chen Xi.

Chen Xi stuck out her tongue. “Go ahead and sleep; we won’t wake you even tomorrow.”

Su Cheng retorted unceremoniously, “Don’t call me then, hmph.”

Curled up in her blanket, Su Cheng opened WeChat to see what had transpired while she slept.

There weren’t many unread messages, only a few.

Yin Xuelian had sent a good afternoon message, Lin Shiyue had sent a good afternoon message, Gu Xiya had sent a good afternoon message…

‘Good heavens,’ she thought, ‘it’s like a matching game.’

However, Lin Shiyue sent a new message just then.

– Yueyuezi: Chengcheng, it’s raining, are you happy?

Su Cheng grinned foolishly at her phone screen; how could she *not* be happy?

– Orange: 😆😆 Of course I’m happy, hahahaha.

– Yueyuezi: Since you’re so happy, do you want to go for barbecue tonight? Bring your roommates too. The ‘Hao Hao Chi’ (TL Note: Meaning ‘Delicious’) barbecue place near school has discounts for new students, and the more people there are, the bigger the discount. It works out to less than fifty per person for a lot of food.

– Yueyuezi: Plus, you can drink beer for free.

Barbecue and free beer—was there anything more delightful in this world?

Su Cheng was already salivating at the thought.

– Orange: There’s such a thing? Then how can we not ‘hao yang mao’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term meaning to take advantage of a discount or freebie, literally ‘to pluck wool from a sheep’)? I’ll ask them first.

Su Cheng poked half her head out from under the covers and looked at Sun Xiaochen and Chen Xi again.

“Oi! The class monitor asked if we want to go for barbecue. New students get a discount, it’s delicious and not expensive.”

Chen Xi’s voice was tinged with excitement as she raised her hand in agreement. “Let’s go, why not? I’m craving some barbecue too.”

Sun Xiaochen readily agreed, and the three of them instantly clicked.

Su Cheng then coordinated the time with Lin Shiyue, agreeing to depart at 6 PM.

As for the barbecue money, Yin Xuelian’s red packet from earlier that morning meant Su Cheng had no fear of being penniless.

Catching up on sleep was paramount.

By the time Su Cheng awoke again, it was already 5:30 PM, leaving ample time for fifteen minutes of getting ready.

Considering how easily clothes could get dirty while eating barbecue, Su Cheng opted not to wear the only dress in her wardrobe, choosing instead a pair of jeans and a black short-sleeved top.

At the appointed time, Su Cheng and her two roommates met up with Lin Shiyue and her two roommates, setting off together.

The dim sky continued to rain, and although the downpour had lessened, they still had to use umbrellas to avoid soaking their hair.

“I didn’t bring an umbrella again, I’m doomed.”

Su Cheng stood at the dorm entrance, fretting, as she always forgot to bring an umbrella on rainy days.

“It’s fine, my umbrella is big enough, come here.” Lin Shiyue, always prepared, walked out of the dorm entrance with a smile, opening her umbrella to wait for Su Cheng.

“Then thank you, Class Monitor.”

Su Cheng slipped under Lin Shiyue’s umbrella. The others also paired up, but none seemed as close as Lin Shiyue and Su Cheng.

This was only natural, considering their past relationship in a previous life.

Su Cheng walked slowly, brushing against Lin Shiyue’s arm. The faint, elusive floral scent made Su Cheng’s heart quicken, and her peripheral vision constantly strayed towards Lin Shiyue beside her.

Lin Shiyue, now transformed from her military training attire of short sleeves and long pants, wore a black knee-length dress, revealing her collarbones like jade plates on her chest. The lightly made-up girl was even more captivating at this moment.

Her matching black high-heeled sandals clicked on the path, splashing a little water and stirring the hearts of passing boys.

Her dark ponytail swayed rhythmically from side to side with each step, occasionally brushing against Su Cheng’s elbow.

It had to be said that Lin Shiyue, dressed this way, was both beautiful and alluring.

The feeling she evoked in Su Cheng was not much different from their previous life, save for a hint of unfamiliar maturity that now shone through.

“Is there something on my face?”

Lin Shiyue suddenly turned to ask Su Cheng, a hint of amusement playing in her eyes.

“No, nothing…”

Su Cheng shook her head in denial, simultaneously shifting her gaze forward.

Lin Shiyue smiled at Su Cheng’s slightly flushed profile, slowing her pace a little.

“After the traffic lights ahead, it’s just twenty meters further.”

Lin Shiyue spoke softly, her voice just loud enough for Su Cheng beside her to hear.

“Then we’re almost there! I’m already a bit hungry.”

“You ate so much at noon, and you’re hungry already?” Lin Shiyue said with a beaming smile, her lips curving upward at a fifteen-degree angle.

Su Cheng pouted. “That’s different. Noon is noon, and now is now.”

“Alright, alright, no rush. We can snack on appetizers while we grill later.”

Su Cheng nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

The group of six stopped in front of the “Hao Hao Chi” barbecue restaurant. The packed main hall inside already hinted at the establishment’s immense popularity.

“Excuse me, we have six people. Do you have any private rooms available?” Su Cheng blinked her eager eyes, gazing at the receptionist.

“Ah, I’m sorry, the last private room has just been booked. Would you mind taking a table in the main hall?” The receptionist lowered her head, her voice full of apology.

“Oh, what a shame,” Su Cheng sighed, her face etched with regret as she slightly lowered her head.

“Um, we booked a private room, but there are only three of us. If you don’t mind, would you like to join us…?”

Su Cheng couldn’t quite make out who was speaking beside her, only knowing it definitely wasn’t Lin Shiyue. With a slight flutter of excitement, she blinked and looked at the person speaking next to her.

“Really? That would be wonderful… Eh, eh?!”

“Student Gu, why are you here?!”