Chapter 14: Is there another dog outside?

She glanced at the time—it was 7:40, and she had a major course at 8:00.

But right now, she truly lacked the energy to go to the classroom and listen to the professor drone on, plus she hadn’t even eaten breakfast.

Besides, Mother Shi had already said her primary task at school wasn’t to study.

So what if it was a major course? If she didn’t attend, she just didn’t attend.

Shi Kezhen walked unhurriedly toward the school cafeteria, planning to grab a quick bite before returning to her dorm to catch up on sleep.

She slept all the way until noon.
Upon waking, she took out her phone, switched to the Privacy Space, and found several messages waiting for her on WeChat.

07:35
Cheng: [Wifey, are you awake? Are you having breakfast in your school cafeteria again?]
Cheng: [You went to sleep so early last night, and you’re still not up?]

10:13
Cheng: [[Image]]
It was an in-game screenshot.
Cheng: [Wifey, didn’t you tell me last night that you were going to sleep early?]
Cheng: [You said you were sleeping, but then you went online to play games past eleven without even inviting me, and you played until past three in the morning?]
Cheng: [Explain yourself. Is there another dog outside?]
Cheng: [Playing dead, huh? Reply to my message!]

11:48
Cheng: [Playing games in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, and you still haven’t gotten up by now?]

12:36
Cheng: [If you don’t get up and eat something soon, it’ll be bad for your stomach. Be good, get up and eat something before going back to sleep.]

The last message had been sent just ten minutes ago.

Looking at her phone, Shi Kezhen couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

It felt genuinely nice to have someone sincerely care about her.

Yao: [I just woke up.]

He must have been staring at his phone, because the moment her message went through, he replied instantly.

Cheng: [What was going on with you last night? Sleepwalking and playing games?]
Yao: [I couldn’t sleep last night, so I got up to play.]
Cheng: [But didn’t you complain about being tired and needing to sleep early on?]
Yao: [Yeah, but I couldn’t fall asleep once I lay in bed, so I just stayed up.]
Cheng: […]
Yao: [Hehe.]
Cheng: [Then why didn’t you ask me to keep you company?]

‘Asking you would lead to a completely different kind of not being able to sleep.’

Shi Kezhen chuckled but didn’t type that out.

Yao: [It was so late, I figured you were probably asleep.]
Cheng: [To keep my wifey company, I can always get up even if I’m asleep.]
Yao: [My heart ached for you; I didn’t want to wake you.]
Cheng: [Wifey is so considerate. #Kiss Kiss#]
Yao: [#Kiss Kiss#]
Cheng: [But next time, you absolutely have to ask me to keep you company. No need to feel bad for me.]
Yao: [Alright, next time I’ll definitely ask you.]
Cheng: [It’s almost one o’clock. Hurry up, wash up, and go eat something.]
Yao: [Mm, okay.]
Cheng: [At this hour, there probably isn’t much left to eat in your school cafeteria. You should go outside and eat something good.]

Staring at those words, Shi Kezhen hesitated for a moment.

Yao: [There should still be something to eat. A few casual bites will be fine.]
Cheng: [#Wiping Sweat# Wifey, you’re really not picky at all.]
Yao: [#Snickering# You should be secretly laughing that your wife is so easy to feed.]
Cheng: [Be a little pickier. Your husband can afford to feed you.]

Shi Kezhen’s fingers paused for a moment before she continued typing.

Yao: [Let’s chat later; I’m getting up to grab something to eat first.]
Cheng: [Okay, call me this afternoon if it’s convenient.]

***

Shi Kezhen switched her phone back to the main space before pulling open her bed curtains and climbing down.

It was noon, and all three of her roommates were there; some were eating, while others leaned against their beds scrolling on their phones.

She gave them a simple greeting, washed up, changed her clothes, and headed out.

She walked into the cafeteria and stood by the serving window, but her hand, about to reach for a tray, paused.

She swept her gaze over the dining area and saw only a sparse scattering of people. The warming trays at the serving window were mostly empty, leaving behind a few unidentifiable dishes with congealed sauce.

Make do with a bite?

She recalled Cheng’s recent words: ‘Be a little pickier. Your husband can afford to feed you.’

Then, she turned around, walked out of the cafeteria, and headed toward the school gates.

Her steps were a bit lighter than when she had arrived, and her mood was also more cheerful.

She had already skipped two major classes in the morning, and she simply decided not to attend the afternoon classes either.

Since she was allowing herself this rare indulgence, she might as well eat something good outside and spend the afternoon having fun before returning.

Besides, Shi Yanzhou knew she had waited up for him all night, so it was perfectly reasonable for her to sleep in and skip class during the day.

As for not attending afternoon classes, he would probably assume that the things he said to her in the morning had shattered her fragile heart, causing her to hide away to nurse her wounds.

Shi Kezhen thought about this as she walked, completely unaware that the moment she turned around, a figure had been walking briskly toward the cafeteria from another direction, causing the two of them to miss each other perfectly.

***

Meanwhile, Shi Kezhen had just stepped out of the school gates.

She stood there hesitating for a moment. Since she usually ate at the school cafeteria, she really wasn’t familiar with the food options around the school.

After thinking about it, she decided to just hail a cab on her phone and head straight to Liuguang Mall. There, she could both solve her lunch problem and kill time for the rest of the afternoon.

It was rare for her to come out and eat something she liked. After ordering her food, she switched her phone back to the Privacy Space.

She took several photos of the delicious food on the table from different angles and sent them to Cheng.

Yao: [Hubby, I listened to you and didn’t settle for less today. Am I being a good girl? Hehe.]
Yao: [The Hong Kong-style dim sum here looks pretty good. It shouldn’t taste any worse than the place you ate at yesterday.]
Yao: [I’m digging in!]

After sending a few messages in a row, she put down her phone, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating.

Since she wasn’t at school and there were no acquaintances around, she felt much more relaxed.