Hua Yan was unaware of the heated discussions on the Tingjian Forum because she was too full.
At noon, she had finished her meal quickly, maintaining a calm facade despite not tasting much of the food—Lu Chengsha ate too fast, forcing her to keep pace with him.
When he finished eating, he subconsciously picked up his plate and started to leave.
Hua Yan looked up at him and casually said, “Are you leaving?”
It was only then that Lu Chengsha seemed to realize something was off. He paused for a second, then put his plate down and sat back down.
Hua Yan soon regretted not persuading him to leave.
Because Lu Chengsha stayed and stared at her while she ate.
Hua Yan usually ate at a normal speed and was a bit picky, not particularly fond of vegetables. However, the canteen uncle always served her a large scoop because he thought she was too skinny.
Normally, she wouldn’t feel pressured; if she couldn’t finish, it was no big deal. But now, with nothing else to do and Lu Chengsha staring at her unblinkingly, she felt as if his gaze was piercing her back.
His plate was spotless, not a grain left.
There was even a poster on the wall saying, “Cherish food, everyone’s responsibility.”
Feeling an inexplicable pressure, Hua Yan had no choice but to bury her head and eat quickly.
Lu Chengsha couldn’t possibly keep staring at her, could he?
Thinking this, she lifted her gaze slightly… only to meet Lu Chengsha’s eyes again. He seemed equally surprised by her sudden glance, and their eyes met briefly before he looked away. Hua Yan quickly lowered her head again.
Stop looking!
Hua Yan bowed her head and said angrily, “I’ll eat, just stop staring at me!”
Lu Chengsha replied, “Okay.”
In the end, she even finished the green peppers.
It was nothing like she had imagined, and Hua Yan felt she had lost out!
Even her good exam results didn’t make her as happy as she thought they would.
Her deskmate, oblivious to her distress, asked excitedly and shyly, “Hua Hua, what was it like eating with Lu Chengsha? You wouldn’t believe how much…”
Hua Yan rubbed her stomach, still feeling uneasy, and replied, “…It felt really full.”
Her deskmate was puzzled, “What?”
The next day at noon, the moment Hua Yan saw Lu Chengsha, she felt an urge to turn and run.
The boy in the black school uniform stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, his exceptionally tall height and cold but handsome face making him stand out. His presence frequently drew the gazes of passing girls. He glanced down at his watch, as if waiting for something.
Probably waiting for a classmate.
It couldn’t possibly be for her.
It shouldn’t be…
Hua Yan hesitated, her emotions in a turmoil, but finally decided to drag her suddenly excited deskmate and try to slip past him.
At that moment, Lu Chengsha looked up and saw her.
He walked straight towards her, ignoring the onlookers around him.
“Let’s go eat,” he said directly.
Hua Yan froze, “…Didn’t we already eat yesterday?”
Lu Chengsha looked puzzled, “Didn’t you say one week?”
Since when was it one week?
One week would really be too much!
Hua Yan was bewildered. Her deskmate, showing no loyalty, pushed her forward and said, “Hua Hua, you go ahead. I’ll eat with the other classmates!” Then she quickly made her escape.
Lu Chengsha was still looking at her with slight confusion.
People were coming and going at the entrance.
The two of them standing there were quite conspicuous.
She had no choice but to lower her head and reluctantly push Lu Chengsha, “Alright, alright, let’s go eat.”
After getting their food, Hua Yan instinctively took out her meal card. Just as she heard the “ding,” someone had already swiped it for her.
She turned to see the boy in the black school uniform holding out his meal card to her. His long fingers grasped the black meal card, which reflected a metallic sheen. He said calmly, “Just use mine.”
“…”
What a strange line!
It’s just a meal card, no need to be so dramatic!
She snatched the meal card from Lu Chengsha’s hand, feeling inexplicably embarrassed. The card in her hand felt hot.
After swiping, she quickly handed it back to him. In her haste, Lu Chengsha instinctively reached out. As she passed the card, Hua Yan’s fingertips briefly brushed against Lu Chengsha’s finger pad.
Both of them stiffened.
A slight current surged through their fingers. It was so subtle that they almost thought it was an illusion.
Hua Yan quickly pulled her hand back and immediately sat down to eat.
After a moment, Lu Chengsha sat down as well.
Seeing her plate full of food, Hua Yan instantly sobered up. She had forgotten to order less, and now her hand holding the chopsticks froze, not knowing where to start.
When she looked up, Lu Chengsha wasn’t eating; he seemed to be lost in thought.
Hua Yan coughed lightly.
Lu Chengsha seemed to snap back to reality. His dark eyes looked at her, paused, and after hesitating for a moment, he asked, “…Can’t you finish your food?”
Hua Yan quickly nodded, clasping her hands in a pleading gesture, “Yes… it’s okay if I don’t finish, right? I know it’s my fault. I won’t order so much next time! I’ll order less!”
“What can’t you finish?”
Hua Yan was stunned and casually pointed at the green peppers and tomatoes.
Lu Chengsha thought for a moment, then used an unused spoon to scoop half of the green peppers and tomatoes onto his own plate. He looked down and asked her, “Can you finish now?”
Hua Yan was still in a daze, “Ah… oh, yes.”
Lu Chengsha added, “Wasting food is bad.”
Hua Yan instinctively replied, “…Oh.”
When she came to her senses, she realized that Lu Chengsha was calmly eating her food, his expression still serene and natural.
What’s with this guy?
Hua Yan’s cheeks turned red, and she couldn’t quite describe her feelings. It just felt weird… She couldn’t help but glance at Lu Chengsha frequently, which made him stop eating and ask her, “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Doesn’t he feel awkward eating her food?
They quietly ate for a while, the awkward atmosphere growing more intense. Hua Yan began to search for something to talk about, “…Um, did you sign up for the sports meet? I just signed up for the 100 meters to make up the numbers.”
Not long after the monthly exams, the sports meet was coming up. This year, the event would be even more lively with two schools participating.
“Yes. Fifteen hundred meters.”
Hua Yan was surprised, “You signed up for the fifteen hundred? No wonder you go for morning runs…”
Lu Chengsha paused and explained, “That’s a habit.”
“Speaking of which, you also run on the school track in the morning, right? How long do you usually run since you get up so early?”
Lu Chengsha replied in a calm tone, “Ten kilometers, until I finish.”
Hua Yan was shocked, “…??? How much?”
“Ten kilometers,” Lu Chengsha repeated, then he put down his chopsticks and looked up at her.
Hua Yan realized that there was something unusual in Lu Chengsha’s gaze.
“…No, wait, I don’t plan to win any places, and I don’t want to put in much effort! It’s just that there were few girls signing up, so I just signed up to make up the numbers. I don’t want to get up early…” Hua Yan struggled to explain.
“Give it a try,” Lu Chengsha encouraged, “You can run in the evening too.”
Why does the teaching app have to meddle in physical education as well?
***
Her deskmate was surprised, “You’re so familiar with him, and you didn’t know? Lu Chengsha is very good at sports. He was the champion of the men’s 1500 meters last year, and I heard he’s also good at basketball…”
“??? We’re not that familiar!”
Her deskmate was even more astonished, “You call this not familiar? He came to pick you up for lunch!”
Hua Yan quickly explained, “It was just because of a bet before. He lost and had to treat me to lunch.”
“Hua Hua, what’s wrong with you?” Her deskmate came over to feel her forehead, “Aren’t you the most familiar with boys’ tricks? Betting and treating someone to a meal is just a pretext for that… well, you know! But I didn’t expect it from him; he seemed so aloof. Who would have thought he’d be so proactive? People really aren’t what they seem…”
Ah, right…
Hua Yan was somewhat muddled by her deskmate’s indoctrination.
If it were someone else, Hua Yan would have long suspected they had ulterior motives, but Lu Chengsha…
She looked down at her phone.
Teaching App: Good luck on the next monthly exam.
Teaching App: [Question.jpg]
Teaching App: Want to go running tonight?
…No one would court a girl like this, definitely not!
During evening self-study, Hua Yan hesitated, dragging her feet. She really didn’t want to exercise, but… she also really wanted to take a look.
In the end, she floated over to the track.
The number of people on the track was quite different from before the monthly exams. Not only were there runners, but also people throwing shot puts, doing long jumps, all cramming before the sports meet, shouting slogans and creating a lively atmosphere.
Hua Yan had never been to the track the night before a sports meet and was quite shocked.
Before she could put down her bag, someone enthusiastically greeted her, “You’re here to find Lu Chengsha, right? He just went that way…” and very helpfully pointed the way.
The person looked unfamiliar, and Hua Yan couldn’t remember who they were despite racking her brain. She could only awkwardly say, “Thank you.”
What was even more embarrassing was, how did this person know she was here to find Lu Chengsha?
And it seemed like everyone knew…
“Study God Lu is over there.”
“He just finished a warm-up lap, he’ll be right over, wait a moment!”
Hua Yan immediately wanted to turn around and leave.
But as soon as she turned, she saw Lu Chengsha.
His expression was calm, wearing the black school uniform of Tingjian. He should have blended into the night, but his long legs and arms made him stand out as he ran evenly along the outer track. His arm movements and leg lifts were impeccably standard, and just watching him run was quite pleasing to the eye.
He looked unhurried, seemingly not even breaking a sweat, yet his speed was astonishing. The others running were exhausted, while he effortlessly overtook them.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but stop and watch for a while.
Then, she saw Lu Chengsha gradually slow down and stop not far from her.
Up close, she realized Lu Chengsha wasn’t entirely sweat-free; there was a thin layer of moisture on the tips of his hair. The top button of his usually buttoned-up collar was undone, likely because of the heat.
At this moment, a boy nearby threw him a bottle of water, saying, “Here, catch… it’s from the school, might as well drink it.”
The mineral water traced a perfect arc in the air.
Lu Chengsha casually caught it, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip, his Adam’s apple moving up and down.
The boys around him teased, “Killer Cheng, why are you running in that school uniform jacket? Take it off already!”
“Yeah, exactly! Wearing the uniform a bit longer won’t earn you any extra promotion fees!”
Hearing this, Lu Chengsha’s usually unflappable expression seemed a bit resigned.
He set down the water bottle, swiftly unbuttoned his school jacket, and took it off, folding it neatly and placing it aside. He then unbuttoned the cuffs of his white school shirt and rolled them up.
Hua Yan felt inexplicably startled.
Before she could fully react, she saw Lu Chengsha, while rolling up his sleeves to reveal a bit of his strong arm, quickly walking towards her and asking, “Want to run?”