After a burst of chaos, the dorm room finally settled down. Wang Ziyu looked at Qian Baobao, who was now trying very hard to act like a refined young lady. After Baobao shot her countless meaningful looks, Wang Ziyu finally could not hold back her laughter.
“Second Brother, don’t be fooled by how Baobao acts. She’s actually a really good person. She just looks a little unreliable and spends most of her time swooning over handsome guys, but when you really need her, she’s dependable.” Qian Baobao immediately began glaring. Those middle two parts absolutely did not need to be said. The instant Wang Cheng looked over, however, she quickly rearranged her expression.
“She really is an interesting person.”
Wang Cheng had met plenty of boy-crazy girls in high school. Based on his experience, Qian Baobao looked like that type, but she was not truly irrational about men. Most of it was simply appreciation for good-looking people. If something actually happened, someone like her should still be able to think clearly.
Qian Baobao’s eyes lit up at his words. Taking a mile the moment she was given an inch, she said, “Hello, Second Brother. My name is Qian Baobao. You can call me Baobao just like Ziyu does.”
“I’ve always said your name gives you way too much of an advantage,” Pang Chunjuan cut in. “Getting guys to call you Baobao? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were Ziyu’s second brother’s girlfriend. Be honest. Did you change your name because you thought of this?”
Qian Baobao immediately glanced nervously at Wang Cheng. Seeing that he was not angry, she protested, “Pang Chunjuan, don’t slander me. I never changed my name. I’ve always been called Qian Baobao. My parents gave it to me. If you want to complain, go complain to them.”
She used to think her parents had given her a strange name. Now she decided she should thank them. Mom, Dad, you really gave your daughter a wonderful name. Your daughter has decided never again to complain that you only chose it because you were too lazy to think of anything better.
“It’s a good name. Then from now on I’ll call you Baobao too, just like Little Rain does,” Wang Cheng said. Watching the way the girls interacted reminded him of his own high-school dorm days with Huang Tong’an and the others. Back then, they had been much the same.
“Long live Second Brother!” Qian Baobao jumped up excitedly, completely forgetting that she had been trying to act ladylike.
Mi Li pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Idiot.”
Elsewhere on campus, word had already spread that campus beauty Wang Ziyu had affectionately brought a man back to her dormitory. The news caused an immediate stir. Wang Ziyu’s popularity at Jing University was no lower than that of the other three campus beauties. Not only was she pretty, her grades surpassed theirs as well. The first half of freshman year was nearly over, yet she consistently ranked within the top three of her year on every exam and most often took first place. Her reputation as a top student was well known. How could male students not like someone who had both looks and brains?
Less than two months after entering Jing University, Wang Ziyu had already won over a large portion of the male students. In the campus-beauty vote held a little over half a month earlier, she had lost to a third-year senior by only nine votes.
One had to remember that Wang Ziyu was only a freshman and had nowhere near the senior’s accumulated popularity at Jing University. The senior was also vice president of the student union. The fact that Wang Ziyu had lost by only nine votes showed just how popular she was. And that popularity was not limited to male students. Plenty of female students liked her too. As Mi Li put it, Wang Ziyu had a good personality, no scheming nature, and was the kind of person you could understand at a glance.
Wang Ziyu suggested they eat together. Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Wang Cheng thought about how he had not seen her for two or three months and agreed. The four girls chattered in the dorm about where to eat lunch and what to have. Wang Cheng took out his phone and sent Chu Yifeng a message.
“Second Brother, are you done? We decided,” Wang Ziyu called from the dorm room.
Wang Cheng put away his phone. “Done. Let’s go.”
The group decided to eat at Jing University’s cafeteria. A lot of university students complained that campus food tasted bad, but that was not universally true. Jing University students, at least, thought their cafeteria food was good. There was plenty of variety, the prices were not too high, and many students were happy to eat there.
They arrived fairly early, but sixty to seventy percent of the seats were already occupied, and the atmosphere was lively. A long line had formed where the food was displayed. They first found a six-seat table. One person stayed behind to guard it while the other four went to buy food. Mi Li was the one who remained. She was not picky about food, and Wang Ziyu and the others knew her tastes. They could simply bring back a set meal for her.
“Second Brother, Jing University’s cafeteria has two ways to order. One is self-service fast food, the line you see over there. Everyone takes a tray and chooses the dishes themselves, then swipes a card at the machine beside the counter. The other is made-to-order set meals, like braised spare-rib rice or mushroom chicken rice. Those are cooked fresh in the kitchen. They cost more, but they’re really good,” Wang Ziyu explained as they walked.
“Do both require a card?”
“No. If you don’t have a card, you can pay cash, but you need exact change. So many people eat here that the kitchen doesn’t have time to make change.”
Qian Baobao, walking ahead, turned around. “Ziyu’s Second Brother, even if you don’t have change, we have cards. We can pay for you. One card can be used for more than one person.”
“You don’t have to call me that. Just call me Wang Cheng, or call me Second Brother like Ziyu does,” Wang Cheng said.
Qian Baobao looked bashful. “How could I do that? I’ll just call you Second Brother.”
Wang Ziyu burst out laughing. Because the line for self-service food was too long, everyone decided to order set meals instead. There were fewer people at those windows, and after a few minutes it was their turn. The menu was posted above the window where anyone could look up and read it. Wang Ziyu, Qian Baobao, and Pang Chunjuan had already decided what they wanted before arriving, but they still checked whether there were any new dishes. The cafeteria introduced several new options every so often, and they were usually very popular. Finding nothing new, they ordered what they had planned.
Pang Chunjuan had a large appetite and normally needed two set meals to feel full. Even that was not always enough. But after her roommates ordered her to lose weight, she now ate only one.
“Second Brother, which set do you want?”
Wang Cheng looked over the choices. There really were quite a few, and every one sounded good. After hesitating for two seconds, he decisively chose the braised spare-rib rice and asked the cook to make it extra large, essentially two portions in one.
“A kindred spirit, Second Brother!” Pang Chunjuan was nearly moved to tears when she saw Wang Cheng order as much as she liked to eat.
“Second Brother, do you always eat that much?” Qian Baobao came over to join in. Wang Cheng did not look fat at all. It was hard to imagine his appetite rivaled Chunjuan’s.
“Yeah.” Wang Cheng nodded.
Now even Pang Chunjuan was jealous. Second Brother had the eat-all-you-want-and-never-gain-weight constitution every woman dreamed of.
The cook quickly prepared their orders. Wang Cheng carried two meals in each hand. Qian Baobao tried to help, but Wang Cheng said there was no need. The cafeteria was crowded and bumping into people was easy, but something this minor was hardly a challenge for him.
By now almost every seat in the cafeteria was occupied. Two male students carrying trays wanted to sit at their table. Mi Li refused, but they did not give up. They pointed out that the girls were only four people and the table had six seats, so adding the two of them would fit perfectly. That excuse immediately exposed their real purpose. Sharing the table was only a pretext. They had actually come because of Wang Ziyu. Everyone was already used to situations like this. Ever since Wang Ziyu became famous at Jing University, countless male students had tried to approach her. That was exactly why everyone left Mi Li behind to guard the table. She was the only one capable of repelling them.
“My friends are here. Find somewhere else.” Mi Li stood and took her set meal from Wang Cheng.
The two boys were startled when they saw Wang Cheng. With only the innermost seat still free, they had no choice but to leave awkwardly.
“Does this happen often?” Wang Cheng asked after sitting down and glancing toward their backs.
Wang Ziyu, seated across from him, was too embarrassed to answer.
“Ziyu is so pretty. Of course this happens all the time. Several batches come every day. We still don’t know which idiot did it, but someone actually sent Ziyu’s photo to the student union when they held a campus-beauty vote. She ended up getting selected,” Qian Baobao blurted out immediately, incapable of keeping anything to herself.
After getting to know Wang Ziyu, her three roommates had all known she would definitely be chosen if she entered the contest. They had suggested it before, but Wang Ziyu refused. She had already experienced something similar in high school and had no interest in being called a campus beauty. Everyone respected her decision. By the time they discovered Wang Ziyu’s name on the ballot anyway, it was too late. So many people had already voted for her that at one point she even led the rankings before eventually being overtaken.
Wang Cheng frowned.
“Second Brother, don’t worry about it. They can be annoying, but it hasn’t affected me,” Wang Ziyu said, knowing he was concerned about her.
“I know. Eat.”
Putting those matters aside, everyone began eating. Pang Chunjuan finished fastest, her plate soon completely empty. Her eyes began shining as she stared at everyone else’s food. They all turned their heads away and ignored her while simultaneously speeding up their own eating. Just as they were nearly finished, a burst of noise came from the cafeteria entrance.