The teachers usually used the morning classes to discuss and talk about the homework.
Meanwhile, Ning Li slept in her seat.
A few teachers noticed her sleeping in class but everyone turned a blind eye.
She slept until the last class of the morning. When the bell rang, He Xiaochen nudged her.
“Ning Li, class is over. It’s time for lunch.”
Ning Li slowly woke up and pulled the jersey off her head.
She felt a little more refreshed. She had a look at the clock above the writing board.
It was already noon.
“Mhmm.” As she got up to go to the cafeteria with He Xiaochen, her phone lit up.
She unintentionally glanced at the screen and froze.
It was a message from Lu Huaiyu.
[I’m outside your school.”]
‘Huh? Why is he here? Oh right, the lunch date… I almost forgot about it.’
It was not usually a big deal because it was not their first time going out on a lunch date together. However, today she found it embarrassing after what had happened last night.
She felt as if she could no longer eat lunch with Lu Huaiyu like a normal person.
Ning Li froze to the spot.
He Xiaochen noticed and asked, “Ning Li, what’s wrong?”
Ning Li put on her jersey. “Nothing. I’m sorry, but I have to go. I can’t have lunch with you.”
“Huh? You’re going out? Alone?”
“No… I have a… friend.”
“Oh, okay. Have fun, I’ll be going to the cafeteria then.”
He Xiaochen then went off without any further questions.
Ning Li went out and headed to the school entrance.
She noticed the familiar figure standing at the entrance from afar.
White shirt and black coat on the towering figure.
As though sensing her presence, he turned around to her.
They locked eyes and Ning Li blushed.
She took a deep breath and walked over.
It was lunchtime, so many students were moving in and out of the school. Many of them were staring at her.
Ning Li turned a blind eye to them and strode over to Lu Huaiyu.
“Second brother.”
Lu Huaiyu glanced at her eyes. He noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes and the slightly reddish eyes.
“Had a rough night?”
Ning Li paused. “I had a lot of homework to do last night.”
Lu Huaiyu nodded. He smiled and said, “Second High really lives up to its reputation. The midterm is over, yet they are not holding back on the homework.”
“Yeah…”
The girl looked away, feeling embarrassed. Lu Huaiyu grinned, he did not expose her on the spot.
He felt bad for her because she had not gotten enough sleep. If he made her mad, he would have to cheer her up.
He gestured with his chin. “Let’s go have lunch.”
Ning Li was surprised. “W-Where?”
“There’s a food street behind your school, right? Let’s go there.”
Lu Huaiyu said lazily, as he put his hands into his pocket.
Surprised, Ning Li asked, “The food street?”
She looked him up and down.
His outfit alone, excluding the watch, cost more or less 6 figures, yet he wanted to have street food?”
“What’s wrong? Can’t I have street food?” Lu Huaiyu raised a brow.
“I won’t take a lot of your time either.”
Ning Li thought about it. Before this, Lu Huaiyu had never cared about whether or not their date interfered with Ning Li’s time or classes.
Just the other day, he had even applied for leave on her behalf.
However, since Lu Huaiyu had already made up his mind, she simply nodded.
“Sure.”
…
The both of them went around the corner to the famous food street of Second High.
The street was not wide by any means but was filled with restaurants and stalls on both sides.
There were many students garbed in Second High uniforms walking around. Even students from Seven High could be seen there.
The fragrance of the food was enticing and the place was extremely lively.
Lu Huaiyu and Ning Li drew a lot of attention.
Ning Li was famous in Second High. Coupled with Lu Huaiyu’s extraordinary presence, the duo stood out from the rest. It was hard for anyone to ignore them.
The street was rather crowded, so they were forced to walk close to each other.
She was so close to him that she grazed his coat a few times as they walked.
It was subtle and silent but she could feel her shoulder touching him.
Ning Li tried to tighten her jersey but the jersey had a loose design, so it was not working.
Lu Huaiyu did not seem to notice anything. He asked, “Which stall do you recommend?”
Ning Li said, “I’ve only been here a few times and tried three to four stalls, but everything was nice.”
“The clay pot stall ahead and the beef noodles are good. Oh, and the steamed dumplings that we just passed by are nice as well.”
Ning Li barely paid attention to the food but she had come here a few times with He Xiaochen who was a foodie.
He Xiaochen knew every local delicacy within a 5 km radius around the school.
She could rival Lin Zhouyang in terms of food hunting.
Lu Huaiyu looked at her. “Which one do you want?”
Before she could say a word, a few students walked past her. One of the girls tripped and the bowl of oden spilled in Ning Li’s direction.
Ning Li’s instinct was to avoid it but before she could react, she felt a tight grip on her arm as Lu Huaiyu pulled her to the side, avoiding the hot soup from the oden.
The food spilled onto the floor, the soup still steaming hot.
The students were stunned. The girl who had spilled the bowl of oden looked at Ning Li and Lu Huaiyu nervously, her face turning red.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”
Lu Huaiyu glared at her.
Ning Li tugged on his sleeve and said, “Second brother, I’m fine. Let’s not do this.”
The girl looked nervous and helpless.
Ning Li looked at her and said, “It’s okay.”
It had been an accident and the girl had even lost her bowl of oden.
Lu Huaiyu stopped glaring.
“Let’s go.”
As they walked away, Ning Li realized he was still holding her arm.
She was wearing the autumn uniform, so she only had a single layer of jersey on her.
Even through the jersey, Lu Huaiyu’s hand enveloped her whole arm.
She felt the strong grip of his hand and the warmth of his palm.
She tried to break free. “Second brother, second brother…”
Lu Huaiyu turned around. At a glance, he knew what she wanted to say.
He paused for a moment before letting go.
“Stay close,” he said.
Ning Li felt that they were already close enough but Lu Huaiyu was worried that other accidents might happen again.
She sighed and moved closer to him.
A while later, they arrived at a stall. Lu Huaiyu gestured with his chin, “Let’s try this one.”
Ning Li had a look at the signage. It was the same stall that she had come to with He Xiaochen the other day.
“Sure.”
The two of them went in and sat opposite each other.
“Second brother, what do you want?” Ning Li passed him the menu.
Lu Huaiyu made the easiest decision of his life. “I’ll have whatever you are having.”
He saved both of them the trouble.
After placing the order, Ning Li looked at Lu Huaiyu.
