Chapter 46: Eating crazy

Su Cheng found herself surrounded by their incessant chatter, unsure of whom to even address.

“Chengcheng, let’s go get some noodles.”

“Little Orange, there’s a new dish on the menu, don’t you want to try it?”

“Student Su, I’ll treat you to fried chicken.”

Su Cheng: “…”

Her only thought at that moment was whether she could make them all shut up.

What gibberish were they even saying?

“Stop bickering! I want to eat!” Su Cheng growled, squeezing out the words, and the expressions of the girls around her immediately shifted.

Yin Xuelian offered a smug smile, Lin Shiyue gnashed her teeth, while Gu Xiya’s face remained calm.

Su Cheng surveyed the three finally quieted girls, secretly sighing in relief, before lining up at the back of the meal queue, no longer paying them any mind.

Yet, even without Su Cheng’s attention, they inevitably clustered around her in line.

Now, she had a black-haired girl on her left, a pink-haired girl on her right, and a blonde behind her.

Su Cheng felt utterly helpless; she had never imagined that her ex-girlfriends from her previous life would all flock around her so soon after the start of the semester, not to mention that Gu Xiya wasn’t even one of them.

Why was even Gu Xiya clinging to her?

Were they all planning revenge because she had been such a scoundrel in her previous life?

Surely, they weren’t trying to befriend her only to ruthlessly dump her in retaliation, were they?

But would that even work?

Her heart was inherently rotten; being dumped wouldn’t cause her any sadness.

Besides, she was a little cute girl now, and it was unlikely they could… form romantic relationships… right?

However, Yin Xuelian’s proactive kiss, Lin Shiyue’s accidental kiss, and the faint ache in her lips after she regained consciousness all seemed to suggest the girls were attempting to break through that barrier.

Could this be… Yuri (TL Note: A Japanese term, ‘yuri,’ referring to a genre focusing on romantic relationships between women. Often used in Chinese web novels to describe similar themes.)?

The thought was terrifying.

“Little girl, what dishes would you like?”

The meal-serving auntie gently tapped her serving tray, urging the somewhat dazed Su Cheng.

“Little Orange, it’s your turn now,” Yin Xuelian softly reminded Su Cheng, poking her arm.

Su Cheng snapped back to reality, pulling herself from her thoughts, her cheeks warming slightly as she hastily shook off those terrifying yuri premonitions.

“Little girl?”

The meal-serving auntie’s spoon tapped the edge of the tray again, her voice carrying an urgency permeated with the smell of cooking oil.

“Ah! Coming, coming, coming!” Su Cheng startled, nearly biting her tongue.

The spot on her arm where Yin Xuelian’s fingertip had poked still held a subtle, lingering sensation.

“I’d like some cabbage, roasted duck, and steamed egg, with one liang (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 50 grams.) of rice.”

“Alrighty.”

Su Cheng sighed in relief, took her tray, and was about to swipe her card to leave when Yin Xuelian beat her to it.

“I’ll get it,” Yin Xuelian smiled gently, and a faint, elegant fragrance wafted over.

Su Cheng cast a grateful smile at Yin Xuelian. “Thank you, Sister Lian.”

Yin Xuelian returned an elegant smile. “You’re welcome.”

“Damn it, she got ahead of me…” Lin Shiyue’s expression turned regretful, her eyes filled with unwillingness.

Gu Xiya, however, showed no expression, simply standing quietly directly behind Su Cheng, her blonde hair shimmering with a soft glow under the cafeteria’s overhead lights.

But Su Cheng only felt the nape of her neck tingle, the pressure from that calm gaze like a silent monitor.

Round One: Yin Xuelian wins.

“I’ll go find a seat first.”

Su Cheng lowered her head, breaking free from the encirclement formed by the three girls.

Yin Xuelian, seizing the opportunity before Lin Shiyue and Gu Xiya could react, immediately got her meal, securing the initiative.

Su Cheng hadn’t walked far when Yin Xuelian, having already ordered her food, caught up with her, tray in hand.

“Little Orange, wait for me~”

“Oh, Sister, you’re so fast?”

“Hehe.”

Yin Xuelian walked beside Su Cheng, smiling, as they searched for a seat together.

They arrived at a window-side corner, where a table with four empty seats awaited them.

Just as Su Cheng and Yin Xuelian sat down, Lin Shiyue and Gu Xiya found them.

Yin Xuelian lightly sat in the seat next to Su Cheng, placed her tray on the table, and, cupping her chin, beamed at the other two.

Now, only the second most advantageous spot, directly opposite Su Cheng, remained vacant.

Lin Shiyue was a step too slow again, as Gu Xiya got there first, placing her tray on the table opposite Su Cheng to claim the spot before even sitting down.

“Hey, Student Gu, what’s the meaning of this?”

“First come, first served, Student Lin, you were just too slow.”

“You… you two…”

Yin Xuelian and Gu Xiya gave her a faint smile, each harboring a hint of smugness.

In the end, Lin Shiyue had no choice but to sit opposite Yin Xuelian.

Round Two: Lin Shiyue loses again.

Was this even eating? This was practically a Shura field (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘xiuluochang,’ referring to a highly competitive, chaotic, or emotionally charged situation, often involving romantic rivals.) day trip!

Su Cheng’s eye twitched uncontrollably, and the thought of “yuri” resurfaced, bringing with it an ominous premonition.

Lin Shiyue pursed her lips, picked up a golden fried chicken drumstick from her tray, and reached across half the table to place it on Su Cheng’s tray.

Su Cheng, who had just swallowed a mouthful of food, immediately froze, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at Lin Shiyue.

“Chengcheng, I can’t finish this chicken drumstick, help me eat it.”

Su Cheng: “…”

“Student Su, here’s a chicken wing for you.”

Su Cheng: “…”

Seeing her white rice piled with a chicken wing and a drumstick, Su Cheng felt immense pressure, not because she feared she couldn’t finish it, but because of Yin Xuelian, who was smiling mischievously beside her.

“Little Orange, open wide, ah~”

Su Cheng: “?!”

Su Cheng stared in surprise at the chopsticks Yin Xuelian had extended towards her mouth, holding a steaming piece of sweet and sour pork.

Su Cheng tightened her grip on her own chopsticks, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Could she… even eat this meal in peace?

“Eat, why aren’t you eating?”

Su Cheng stammered, “I… can I not eat it…?”

Yin Xuelian shook her head, maintaining her smile, her tone thick with coercion. “Of course not, open wide quickly.”

Yin Xuelian clearly felt two hostile gazes directed at her; Lin Shiyue’s reaction didn’t surprise her, but Gu Xiya’s gaze struck her as unusual.

Could she also be interested in Su Cheng?

Su Cheng wanted to cry but no tears came. Under the watchful eyes of the two girls opposite her, she rigidly opened her mouth, cautiously approaching the piece of meat.

But Yin Xuelian never played by the rules, shoving the piece of meat directly into Su Cheng’s mouth.

“Mmm…”

Forced to swallow the meat, Su Cheng lowered her eyes as she chewed, not daring to look at the two girls opposite her, whose expressions had already darkened.

Yin Xuelian withdrew her chopsticks, not picking up anything else, and put them directly into her own mouth, savoring the flavor that clung to them—her trophy of victory.

Round Three: Yin Xuelian wins.

But even if they lost, would Gu Xiya and Lin Shiyue let Su Cheng off the hook?

“Student Su, these bamboo shoots are delicious; let me feed you.”

“Chengcheng, have some pickled radish.”

Su Cheng leaned back in fright from their outstretched chopsticks, pulling herself out of their reach.

“I say, can we even eat in peace?”

Su Cheng glared around unhappily, and the three girls froze.

She just wanted to eat her meal in peace, but these three wouldn’t let her.

“Of course not.”

“Why can’t…”

Seizing the opening when Su Cheng spoke with her mouth open, Lin Shiyue employed her ‘stuff-it-in-your-mouth’ tactic, directly shoving the pickled radish held by her chopsticks into Su Cheng’s mouth.

Having succeeded in her ploy, Lin Shiyue’s victor’s smile naturally bloomed on her face as she withdrew her hand, savoring what was, to her, her honey.

Su Cheng was utterly speechless, chewing unhappily with her mouth full. Although Gu Xiya, directly opposite her, hadn’t yet withdrawn her chopsticks, Su Cheng would not give her another chance, no matter what.

‘You won’t ambush me again!’

“Student Su, are you sure you don’t want to try a bite?”

Su Cheng pursed her lips and firmly shook her head; she would never yield.

But the next second, just as she swallowed the chewed radish, a sudden pain shot through her toes, making her yelp.

“Wahhh! Hmph…”

A smug smile quietly appeared on Gu Xiya’s face as she slowly withdrew the foot that had been stepping on Su Cheng’s military boot, and slowly pulled out the chopsticks she had shoved into Su Cheng’s mouth.

“You two, why are you both resorting to sneak attacks? Huh? That’s too despicable!”

“Sister Yin is the despicable one.”

“Exactly, Sister Yin only forces Student Su.”

“You!”

The three girls’ gazes clashed, as if sparks were fiercely flying in the air.

At this moment, Su Cheng’s eyes were dazed as she looked at the tray before her, but she put down her chopsticks.

It wasn’t the food; it was the suffocating environment.

She was ultimately tormented by the trio’s Shura field, losing her appetite entirely.

Su Cheng now only wanted to escape from here, to escape their endless bickering.

‘I’m a good person, please let me go, sisters…’