Chapter 7: Come On, Open Wide, Ah~

Wait a second.

You ditch your bro, fine.

But taking my food and sharing it with others? What’s that about?

Ling Yuan stared, dumbfounded, as Lan Feng ran off to another table, gleefully dividing up Ling Yuan’s meal.

“Ling Yuan, you haven’t eaten lunch?”

“…Uh, yeah, didn’t even have breakfast…”

Ling Yuan was on the verge of tears. He wanted to bolt, but out of politeness, he stayed put.

“I see…”

Yixin Xue nodded thoughtfully.

His heavy dark circles made it look like he could keel over any moment.

But the hungrier someone is, the easier they are to tame.

If her looks couldn’t sway him, she’d take her time winning him over.

She scooped some braised pork sauce, poured it over her rice, and mixed it evenly.

“Want a bite?”

“Huh?”

Ling Yuan watched her, stunned.

“What?”

“Come on~ The cafeteria’s out of food now. Just eat mine.”

A spoon came toward him, loaded with rice soaked in pork sauce, topped with a small piece of braised pork.

“Ah~”

Ling Yuan’s eyes widened, his exhausted brain racing.

‘Hold up. Didn’t she just have that spoon in her mouth? Isn’t this basically an indirect kiss? What’s her deal? I thought she wasn’t into guys! Why’s she doing this? Is she… trying to make up for yelling at me the other day!?’

“Why aren’t you eating? Come on, open wide, ah~”

As Yixin Xue said “ah,” he caught a glimpse of her perfect white teeth and pink tongue, paired with a face that could make any guy weak.

‘Tch—’

If he ate this, he’d be the envy—and enemy—of half the school!

This was a privilege they’d never get.

“Not hungry?”

Ling Yuan took a deep breath.

Surrender.

Food first, pride later.

“Ah—mmph—”

He couldn’t quite describe the bite. The cafeteria food was decent, so the taste was fine. But that spoon had been in the white-haired girl’s mouth…

Was that a faint sweetness he tasted? Was that… the taste of a girl…?

Ling Yuan’s mind wandered to weird places.

Seeing him finish the bite, Yixin Xue smiled, pleased.

“Took you long enough to eat. Want more?”

“Yeah, of course. Guys have big appetites, right?”

“True enough.”

Under the jealous stares of onlookers, Ling Yuan took several more bites.

They all wished they were the ones being fed.

As he chewed, Yixin Xue asked tentatively, “Do you… like guys?”

“!?”

The question nearly made him spit out his food. He barely managed to swallow, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Where’d you get that idea?”

“You hesitated so long when I fed you. I thought maybe you’re not into girls, but guys instead.”

Yixin Xue shrugged innocently.

Ling Yuan was the first person to make her doubt her own appeal.

He always seemed indifferent to girls, yet he was always so chummy with Lan Feng (in her eyes, chummy).

“Don’t talk nonsense! My orientation’s normal.”

Ling Yuan couldn’t fathom why she’d think he liked guys.

That was impossible!

Guys being all touchy-feely with each other just grossed him out.

“Here, have the rest.”

“You’re not eating?”

Yixin Xue had been feeding him this whole time but hadn’t taken a single bite herself.

Was she just teasing him?

Would she avoid using the spoon now?

The food counters were nearly empty, with only unappetizing scraps left.

Or maybe she’d grab a new spoon.

“Me?”

Yixin Xue smiled faintly.

Under Ling Yuan’s shocked gaze, she casually scooped a few bites of rice into her mouth, then pushed the plate toward him.

“I don’t eat much. You have it.”

Ling Yuan was floored.

First, she didn’t care that the spoon had his saliva on it.

Second, a few bites were enough for her?

Were all girls’ appetites this small, like Yan Xi’s?

No wonder they both had such great figures—probably watching their diets.

Thankfully, Yan Xi had left early.

If she’d seen this feeding scene, she’d throw a fit when they got home.

[Big Brother doesn’t like Yan Xi anymore! I don’t care, Yan Xi’s gonna feed Big Brother!]

His lips twitched at the thought.

Yan Xi had watched too much anime, always using her name instead of “I.”

That speech pattern suited lolis, but at 1.65 meters tall, she was no loli.

Yixin Xue realized her actions might’ve been a bit much. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she looked away, but some inner courage had driven her to do it.

She didn’t dislike Ling Yuan.

Unlike other guys, being around him didn’t make her uncomfortable.

It was more… the shyness of doing something like this for the first time.

But then…

Her gaze slid back to him, a sly smile creeping onto her face.

“Eat up. If it’s not enough, I’ve got bread in my bag.”

“Class President.”

Ling Yuan swallowed his bite.

“I’m over you yelling at me the other day. You don’t have to do this.”

‘Keep this up, and I’m gonna have a mob after me.’

The glares from passing guys were practically murderous.

“I know, it’s fine. Just eat. And make sure you rest well tonight. I don’t want you passing out tomorrow.”

Ling Yuan froze, staring at her in disbelief.

He asked weakly, “Class President… tomorrow’s really just tutoring, right?”

“Yup~ Of course~”

“Oh…”

Why did that sound like this meal was his last supper?

“Out of curiosity, what’re we studying…?”

“A custom tutoring plan just for you. You’d better come prepared. If you fall asleep, I won’t be as lenient as the teachers.”

“Can I say no…?”

“Then I’ll come to your place. If I remember right, you live alone, don’t you?”

“…”
Ling Yuan hesitated.

Yixin Xue was the teachers’ favorite.

If he refused, they’d notify his parents…

Ugh.

To keep things simple, he’d just go along with it. She said it was just tutoring, after all.

The class president wouldn’t lie…

After scarfing down the rest of the food, Ling Yuan just wanted to get out of there.

“I’m done. I’m heading out.”

“Mm-hmm~ Go ahead. Make sure you nap during lunch break. No sleeping in class this afternoon.”