Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

A girl's voice came from the background, sounding a bit distant: "Chen Lu, let's go eat!"

Another voice: "Hurry up, hurry up, I'm starving!"

Chen Lu's voice came from the other end of the phone, as if she were turning her head to talk to someone: "You guys go first, I have something to do."

Then she spoke into the phone again.

"I'm free. Where should we meet?"

Lin Dong thought for a moment.

"Downstairs in the dormitory? I don't know where the cafeteria is."

Chen Lu smiled.

"Okay, then wait for me. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I hung up the phone.

Lin Dong put his phone in his pocket, stood up, and walked out.

After walking downstairs and waiting at the door for a short while, Chen Lu came over from around the corner.

She changed her clothes.

The white volunteer T-shirt from this morning is gone; it's been replaced with a light blue T-shirt and denim shorts.

The T-shirt was ordinary, the kind of plain color you see everywhere, but it looked particularly clean on her.

Beneath the denim shorts, her legs were long and straight, and she wore a pair of white canvas shoes.

Her hair was still tied in a ponytail, but she had changed to a light-colored hair tie, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

She walked over and glanced at him.

"Didn't you change your clothes?"

Lin Dong glanced down at himself; he was still wearing the same gray T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers as he had that morning.

They are all the most basic styles, the kind that would be very inconspicuous in a crowd.

"I'm used to it, I always wear this."

Chen Lu smiled.

"Okay, let's go."

The two walked towards the cafeteria.

Chen Lu walked quickly, her ponytail swaying behind her head. Lin Dong followed beside her, saying nothing.

Chen Lu felt a little flustered.

I just turned down my roommates and decided to go out to eat with Lin Dong. What if I run into them? How am I supposed to explain if we do?

She glanced at Lin Dong secretly.

He remained quite calm, his face expressionless. Hands in his pockets, he walked at a leisurely pace, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, occasionally glancing at the trees beside him. Sunlight fell on his face, illuminating his faint features.

Have you applied for a meal card yet?

Lin Dong shook his head.

"not yet."

Chen Lu's eyes lit up.

"This meal is on me. I'll take you to get things done after we eat."

Lin Dong glanced at her.

"Okay. You go ahead."

Chen Lu smiled.

She felt a little happy. She'd owed someone a favor for so long, and she'd finally repaid a small part of it. Even though it was just a meal, it was better than nothing.

The two entered the cafeteria.

The place was crowded, with long queues at the food windows and the aroma of food filling the air.

Freshmen looked around with their meal cards in hand, while upperclassmen skillfully swiped their cards to get their meals and then carried their plates to find seats. Someone shouted, "There are seats here!" and someone asked, "Is there a queue at this window?" It was a noisy scene.

Chen Lu walked ahead and looked back at him.

"Shenzhen University's cafeterias have a lot of good food. The Liyuan area has roast meats, claypot rice, spicy hot pot, Guilin rice noodles... What would you like to eat?"

Lin Dong thought for a moment. He didn't really care what he ate, he wasn't picky, but if he wanted to eat something...

"Do you have braised goose?"

Chen Lu's eyes lit up.

"Braised goose? You like braised goose?"

Lin Dong nodded.

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

Chen Lu smiled.

"What a coincidence! I like it too! There's a braised goose rice restaurant on the second floor, I eat there all the time."

She paused.

"I didn't expect we like to eat the same things."

Lin Dong rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, what a coincidence."

Chen Lu smiled.

"Let's hurry up, we've been busy all morning and we're starving."

She quickened her pace and walked up to the second floor, with Lin Dong following behind.

There are fewer people on the second floor.

The two walked to the braised goose window, bought two servings of braised goose rice, and carried their plates to find seats.

Chen Lu chose a seat by the window and sat down.

Lin Dong sat opposite her.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling onto the table. Outside, the leaves rustled gently in the breeze, casting swaying shadows on the table.

The two picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

Neither of them spoke.

The cafeteria was noisy, but their table was very quiet.

As Chen Lu ate, she looked around furtively. Her eyes darted towards the doorway, towards the stairwell, and into the crowd.

Whatever you do, don't run into them... whatever you do, don't run into them...

Lin Dong glanced at her, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

When I called her earlier, she had just finished her volunteer work and gone back to her dorm to change. Her roommates called her to eat, but she didn't go and came out by herself. Is she looking around like that because she's afraid of being seen?

She was still looking around, her ponytail swaying with her movements.

He looked a bit like someone who had done something wrong and was feeling guilty.

"What's wrong? Afraid your roommate will see?"

Chen Lu was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red.

How did you know?

Lin Dong lowered his head and took a bite of rice.

"I overheard it when I was on the phone. It must have been your roommate, right?"

Chen Lu nodded, picked up her water glass, and took a sip.

"Um... I was originally going to eat with them, but when you called, I..."

She paused.

"I'm afraid if we run into them later..."

Seeing her nervous yet adorable expression, Lin Dong raised an eyebrow and said:

"What are you afraid of? Going on a date with a junior, forgetting your principles for the sake of a pretty face?"

Chen Lu's face turned even redder.

"I...you..."

Lin Dong smiled.

"I was just kidding."

Chen Lu glared at him, but couldn't help but smile.

She lowered her head and continued eating, the blush on her face still not completely gone.

After Lin Dong's interruption, the atmosphere seemed to ease.

After eating for a while, Chen Lu looked up.

"What's your major, Electronic Information Engineering? What do you study?"

Lin Dong put down his chopsticks.

"I studied both hardware and software. Circuits, programming, signal processing... it was quite a mixed bag."

Chen Lu nodded.

"It sounds difficult."

Lin Dong glanced at her.

"And you? What do you study in psychology?"

Chen Lu thought about it.

"General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Social Psychology, Experimental Psychology..."

She paused.

"Anyway, it's about studying why people behave this way or that way."

Lin Dong looked at her.

He was two years younger than Chen Lu; she enrolled in 03. Back then, psychology was even less popular than it is now, and even fewer people chose it. Her family must have objected quite a bit. Why did she choose it?

"Then why do you want to learn this?"

Chen Lu was stunned for a moment.

The chopsticks paused for a moment.

Two seconds later, she smiled.

"I want to help more people." She looked out the window. "So that everyone can live a healthy and happy life without psychological burdens or mental illnesses."

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her face and gilding it with a faint golden edge.

Her eyes were bright, as if light truly shone from them. Her eyelashes cast soft shadows in the sunlight, and there was a tiny bead of sweat on the tip of her nose, probably from walking too fast.

Lin Dong was stunned for a moment.

She seemed to be glowing.

I don't know if it's because of the sunlight, or if she's just like that.

He looked away.

"A great dream."

Chen Lu turned her head, looked at him, and smiled.

"And you? Why did you choose this major?"

Lin Dong thought for a moment.

"My dad once told me something."

Chen Lu looked at him.

Lin Dong paused.

"Once you've established yourself and become capable, don't just focus on filling your own bowl. Try to make the things you handle a little better, even if it's just a tiny bit better, so that users complain less and find it more convenient."

I want to give it a try.

Chen Lu looked at him, and her eyes slowly brightened.

She picked up the water glass next to her.

"Homage to the great dream."

Lin Dong also picked up his water glass and clinked it against hers.

"Homage to the great dream."

They both took a sip and laughed.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the table. The noise from the cafeteria seemed to fade into the distance, and their table suddenly fell silent.

Chen Lu lowered her head and ate a few bites of rice, then looked up again.

"Are you free later?"

Lin Dong thought for a moment.

"We arranged to have dinner together in the dorm tonight, on the commercial street next to the school."

Chen Lu said "Oh," her expression turning slightly indifferent.

I have something to do tonight. I was originally thinking of...

She lowered her head and took a bite of food.

"That's great. We also made plans to have dinner together when we first met."

Lin Dong glanced at her.

"Um."

Chen Lu raised her head.

"Lin Dong".

Lin Dong looked at her.

"Thank you for last time."

Chen Lu paused.

"Actually, I wasn't in a good mood at that time. Your appearance... helped me a lot."

She looked at him.

"There were so many people on the bus, and not a single one stood up. Why did you help me?"

Lin Dong looked at her.

"With so many people, didn't you choose to sit next to me?"

Chen Lu was stunned for a moment.

Lin Dong looked at her.

"fate."

Chen Lu lowered her head, and a slow smile curved her lips.

The sunlight fell on her, and her face was slightly flushed.

We've almost finished eating.

Chen Lu stood up.

"Let's go, I'll take you to get a meal card."

Lin Dong nodded and followed her downstairs.

The recharge area was located in a corner on the first floor, where a few people were lined up.

The two walked over and joined the queue.

Chen Lu stood next to him, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

I shouldn't run into them, right? I didn't just run into them, but now I probably won't...

As she was thinking, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Hey, isn't that Chen Lu?"

Another voice said, "It looks like... there's a handsome guy next to him?"

"Let's go take a look. This Chen Lu is so disloyal, she actually forgot her principles for the sake of a pretty face!"

Chen Lu's heart tightened.

It's over.

She glanced back.

Two girls were walking this way, with mischievous smiles on their faces.

Chen Lu quickly turned back and whispered to Lin Dong.

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Lin Dong was stunned for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

Before he could finish speaking, the two girls had already walked over.

"Isn't this our senior, Chen Lu?"

Chen Lu covered her face with her hands.

It's over. It's over.

The two girls looked at her with smiles.

"Didn't you say you had something to do? Why didn't you eat with us? So you were secretly meeting up with a junior here?"

Chen Lu's face peeked out from between her fingers, and it was already bright red.

"We...we were just having a normal meal!"

The girl with short hair smiled.

Her eyes crinkle when she smiles, making her look very lively.

"Eating normally? Then why are you covering your face?"

Another girl with long hair also laughed, her laughter gentle and sweet, but her eyes were full of teasing.

"That's right, that's right."

Lin Dong stood to the side, watching them make a fuss.

You can tell they have a good relationship; there's no malice in their words or glances.

The short-haired girl looked at Lin Dong, her eyes lighting up.

"Wow, he's a handsome junior."

She reached out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Lin, Chen Lu's roommate."

Lin Dong took her hand.

"Lin Dong".

The girl with long hair also reached out her hand.

"I'm Zhao Yu. I'm also her roommate."

Lin Dong shook hands with him.

Zhou Lin leaned close to Chen Lu's ear and whispered.

"What's wrong? This isn't like you, Chen Lu."

Chen Lu's face was still red, but she was no longer so flustered.

"No... we were just having a normal meal. He's the guy I told you about last time."

Zhou Lin was stunned for a moment.

"The one I mentioned last time? The one in the car?"

Chen Lu nodded.

Zhou Lin's mouth opened slightly.

"Wow, what a coincidence! He got into Shenzhen University too?"

Chen Lu nodded.

"Yes. I met him at the front desk today, so I'll treat him to a meal to repay his life-saving kindness."

She became more and more self-righteous as she spoke.

"It's nothing like what you guys are saying about dating a junior student, it's that exaggerated."

Zhou Lin leaned closer and lowered her voice even further.

"Yes, it's a life-saving grace, so I'll repay it with my body."

Chen Lu's ears turned red instantly.

"Zhou Lin!"

Zhou Lin smiled.

"Just kidding, just kidding. But this junior is quite handsome, you have good taste."

Chen Lu blushed again.

What do you mean, "good taste"... We really were just having a meal...

Zhou Lin and Zhao Yu chatted with Lin Dong for a few more minutes.

Zhou Lin asked with a smile, "Junior, what's your major?"

"Electronic Information Engineering".

Zhao Yu nodded.

"If you have any questions about campus life in the future, you can ask Chen Lu. She's in the student council, so you can ask her anything."

Lin Dong nodded.

"it is good."

Zhou Lin laughed again.

"Alright, we won't bother you anymore. We'll leave now."

She looked at Chen Lu.

"Chen Lu, we'll interrogate you again when we get back."

Chen Lu blushed again.

Zhou Lin and Zhao Yu waved goodbye and walked out.

After taking two steps, Zhou Lin turned back and winked at Chen Lu.

Chen Lu wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

After the two left, the recharge window was quiet for a few seconds.

Chen Lu lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong didn't say anything either.

After a while, Chen Lu said in a low voice.

"They just like to joke around, don't mind them."

Lin Dong glanced at her.

"fine."

Chen Lu looked up and glanced at him.

His expression remained unchanged, indifferent, revealing nothing.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, he wasn't angry.

It was their turn.

Lin Dong walked to the window.

"How much should I top up?"

Lin Dong thought for a moment.

"one thousand."

The woman in the window glanced at him.

"A thousand? Freshmen usually only top up a hundred or two."

Lin Dong nodded.

"Just one thousand."

The aunt didn't say anything more, took the money, and topped up his account.

Several students in line nearby glanced at him and whispered among themselves.

"Holy crap, this is amazing..."

"A new student paying a thousand yuan? Must their family be rich?"

Chen Lu was also taken aback.

A thousand? Why would he charge so much?

But she didn't ask.

After topping up their accounts, the two walked out of the cafeteria.

The sunlight was a bit too bright.

Chen Lu shielded her eyes with her hand and looked at Lin Dong.

"Then I'll head back now."

Lin Dong nodded.

"it is good."

Chen Lu paused.

"Don't drink too much for dinner tonight."

Oh dear, Chen Lu, why did you say that? Isn't that a bit too ambiguous? Won't he overthink it?

She panicked a little and wanted to explain something, but she swallowed the words back.

Forget it, an explanation would only make it stranger.

Lin Dong glanced at her.

"Um."

Chen Lu smiled.

"Then I'm leaving."

She waved and turned to walk back.

After walking a few steps, she turned back and glanced at him again.

Lin Dong remained standing there, looking at her.

She quickly turned around and quickened her pace.

Why is he still standing...?

I felt a little flustered, a little confused, and a little sweet in a way.

Lin Dong watched her figure disappear into the crowd.