Chapter 41: Lunch Date

Five minutes before the final morning class ended, Luo Xiaoyun’s phone screen lit up silently in her desk drawer.

She sneaked a glance as the professor turned to write on the blackboard—a message from Su Muxue.

– Muxue: Xiaoyun, want to have lunch together? East campus cafeteria, message me when you get there (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

The little smiley at the end made the corner of Luo Xiaoyun’s mouth lift involuntarily. She typed back quickly.

– Yun: Sure, I’ll head over as soon as class ends.

Almost at once, the bell rang. The professor closed his lesson plan and said, “Class dismissed.” The classroom erupted into the noise of packing books.

“Luo Xiaoyun, let’s eat!” Xu Xiangyang leaned over from the back row and patted her shoulder. “There’s sweet and sour ribs at the central cafeteria today—if we’re late, they’ll be gone.”

“You guys go ahead,” Luo Xiaoyun said, stuffing her textbook into her backpack and zipping it up. “I have plans for lunch.”

“Plans?” Zhou Yu’an adjusted his glasses curiously. “With who?”

Xu Xiangyang’s eyes darted, and he flashed a sly grin. “Who else? That gorgeous senior, Su Muxue, of course.”

Cheng Fang nodded repeatedly beside him, wearing an ‘I get it’ expression. “Abandoning friends for beauty, valuing s*x over friendship, blinded by love—Luo Xiaoyun, you’re a lost cause.”

Luo Xiaoyun slung her backpack over her shoulder, stood up, and grinned at the three of them. “Nailed it. I’m off to have lunch with a beauty. You guys can just be jealous.”

“Get lost, just get lost!” Xu Xiangyang pretended to kick her. “That smug face of yours is annoying.”

Luo Xiaoyun dodged with a laugh, waved, and walked out of the classroom with a light step.

The autumn afternoon sun was just right; the campus was filled with students fresh out of class. Luo Xiaoyun walked through the tree-lined path, her short silver-white hair shimmering softly in the sunlight.

She was in a good mood, even humming a little tune—melodies that surfaced automatically from the newly acquired intermediate singing skills in her mind.

The East Campus Cafeteria had one of the best selections on campus. The second floor, with its small dishes and specialty windows, always had long lines.

Luo Xiaoyun went upstairs, looked around, but didn’t see Su Muxue. She pulled out her phone and sent a message.

– Yun: Senior, I’m here. Where are you?

The message showed as read almost immediately, but Su Muxue didn’t reply right away. Luo Xiaoyun figured she might still be on her way, so she decided to queue for food first.

She walked over to the small-dish section, picked up a tray, and stood at the end of the line. There were about seven or eight people ahead of her, all students rushing to grab lunch after class.

Luo Xiaoyun was looking down at her phone, thinking about her afternoon schedule, when she felt a gentle tap on her arm.

“Excuse me, classmate.”

It was a soft, gentle female voice.

Luo Xiaoyun looked up and saw two girls standing in front of her. The one who spoke had shoulder-length hair and wore thin-rimmed glasses, a white knit sweater, and a plaid skirt.

She looked quiet and delicate. Her friend had short hair and was studying Luo Xiaoyun with curious eyes.

“Um… can I add your WeChat?” The girl with glasses blushed slightly, her voice soft. “I saw you over there just now and thought… you have a really unique vibe.”

Luo Xiaoyun froze. This situation… was she being hit on?

She instinctively wanted to refuse, but the other’s polite attitude and shy expression made her hesitate, unsure how to respond. In that moment of indecision, a familiar voice came from beside her, carrying a gentle smile.

“Xiaoyun.”

Luo Xiaoyun turned her head and saw Su Muxue, who had somehow already come up beside her. Su Muxue naturally reached out, took Luo Xiaoyun’s arm, and leaned slightly toward her, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

The glasses girl clearly hadn’t expected this. Her expression stiffened for a moment, then shifted into awkwardness. She looked at Su Muxue, then at their linked arms, and seemed to understand.

“Sorry for bothering you,” she murmured, then quickly pulled her friend away.

Once the two girls were far off, Su Muxue let go, but she still stood very close to Luo Xiaoyun. She looked up, a hint of a smile on her lips, and her tone carried a barely perceptible nuance.

“If I hadn’t come over, were you going to give her your contact info?”

“Of course not!” Luo Xiaoyun denied immediately, her voice a bit louder in her urgency, drawing glances from people in line.

She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Su Muxue, speaking softly enough that only the two of them could hear.

“I already have a girlfriend who’s drop-dead gorgeous, a national beauty, a face that could launch a thousand ships, the moon is shamed by her, flowers are envious, she stands gracefully, gentle and refined—I’m more than satisfied, okay? No one else can catch my eye.”

She rattled off that long string of idioms in one breath, even feeling a bit cringey herself, but when she saw Su Muxue’s expression shift from slightly tense to gradually relaxed, and finally with laughter rippling in her eyes, she felt it was worth it.

Su Muxue did laugh, a little snort escaping. “Smooth talker. But that’s more like it.”

Seeing her laugh, Luo Xiaoyun grew bolder. She blinked and lowered her voice again. “Senior, just now… were you jealous?”

“How could that be.” Su Muxue turned her face away. “How could I get jealous so easily? I just wanted to see what you’d do.”

She said it with a straight face, but Luo Xiaoyun could tell from her slightly flickering eyes and the redness at the tips of her ears. She didn’t call her out on it; instead, a hint of sweetness spread in her heart.

“What should we eat?” Luo Xiaoyun changed the subject and looked at the dazzling display of small dishes. “Today there’s braised pork, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, mapo tofu… all look good.”

“Let’s just go with the small dishes,” Su Muxue said. “We can pick several kinds.”

Luo Xiaoyun took a tray, and together with Su Muxue, they slowly walked along the glass counter, making their selections.

In the end, they chose stir-fried broccoli, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised pork, and sweet and sour pork tenderloin.

They found a corner seat by the window. The food on their plates looked appetizing, and though the cafeteria was noisy, this corner was relatively quiet, as if forming a small private space.

Luo Xiaoyun picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in her mouth. The meat was braised until tender and flavorful, fatty but not greasy, with a rich, sweet sauce.

She squinted in satisfaction and instinctively looked at Su Muxue. “Senior, this braised pork is really good. Do you want to try—”

Before she could finish, she froze.

Because Su Muxue was slightly tilting her head, looking at her, and then—opened her mouth.

Those beautiful lips parted slightly, revealing a hint of white teeth, her expression as natural as if she were just waiting for an expected feeding.

The sunlight fell on her face, her eyelashes casting faint shadows on her lids. The gesture was unpretentious, even a little naive.

Luo Xiaoyun’s face flushed bright red. The hand holding her chopsticks froze in midair, the piece of braised pork still pinched between the tips.

“S-Senior…” she stammered. “We’re out in public… isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Su Muxue blinked, her tone matter-of-fact. “Isn’t it normal for couples to do things like this? Or…” She tilted her head slightly, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes. “Is Xiaoyun unwilling to feed me?”

“It’s not that I’m unwilling!” Luo Xiaoyun denied immediately, her voice rising again.

She glanced around furtively, making sure no one was paying particular attention to their corner, then cautiously, almost tremblingly, extended her chopsticks toward Su Muxue’s mouth.

Su Muxue leaned forward slightly and gently took the braised pork between her lips.

Her mouth inevitably touched the tips of the chopsticks, and Luo Xiaoyun felt as if a weak electric current shot through her fingertips, a tingling numbness spreading from her fingers to the tip of her heart.

Su Muxue chewed slowly and then nodded. “Mm, it really is good.”

Her expression was as natural as if nothing special had happened, but Luo Xiaoyun’s heart was racing. She lowered her head and shoveled a big mouthful of rice, trying to hide her burning face.

“Eat more,” Su Muxue’s gentle voice came, and she placed some scrambled eggs with tomatoes into Luo Xiaoyun’s bowl.

“You’re too skinny; it’s bony when I hug you.” She paused, then added, “Try this too. I just tasted it—the sweet-and-sour balance is perfect.”

Luo Xiaoyun nodded, her face heating up instantly. She kept her head down, not daring to meet Su Muxue’s eyes, and ate the food Su Muxue had given her in small bites.

The two of them finished their lunch quietly, occasionally exchanging a few amusing anecdotes. The sun was warm, the food was good, and the person beside her smiled gently.

She didn’t notice at all that on the other side of the cafeteria, near a pillar, a petite and cute little girl had quietly raised her phone. The camera lens focused on their corner, then clicked the shutter.

The frame froze: sunlight streamed through the window onto the table, the silver-haired short-haired youth blushing as she offered food to the black-haired long-haired girl across from her; the girl leaned forward slightly, a tender smile on her lips.

The atmosphere between them was intimate and natural—anyone looking at them would think they were a couple deeply in love.

The girl looked at the photo on her phone screen, smiled in satisfaction, then quickly tucked her phone away and continued eating as if nothing had happened with the tall girl beside her.

And in the corner, Luo Xiaoyun and Su Muxue knew nothing of this little incident.

After finishing their meal, they cleared their trays together. As they walked out of the cafeteria, the afternoon sun was still bright, and an autumn breeze brought a refreshing coolness.

“What are your plans for the afternoon?” Su Muxue asked, tilting her head.

“I have a professional class at two,” Luo Xiaoyun said, glancing at her phone.

Su Muxue thought for a moment, a faint smile curving her lips. “Perfect. I need to go to the student council office this afternoon to sort out the schedule for next week’s arts festival. Want to come along? You can rest there for a while before your class.”

Luo Xiaoyun nodded. “Sure.”

“Then let’s go.” Su Muxue naturally took her hand. “The student council office is quiet, good for resting.”

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