A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

On Friday morning, Chen Duling and her roommate Li Jing arrived at the classroom ten minutes late. The two crouched down and quietly entered through the back door of the large classroom, choosing two empty seats in the back row.

"Dudu, did you go to bed very late last night?" Li Jing took out her textbooks and placed them on the table, asking softly.

Chen Duling's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't fallen asleep until midnight last night, after sending a message to Su Liu. She didn't need to deny it, but she blurted out instinctively, "No, I fell asleep very early."

"Really?" Li Jing looked suspicious. "I think I saw you looking at your phone in the middle of the night."

"You're mistaken, or you're dreaming."

If you've told a lie, you have to cover it up completely.

"Really?" She tilted her head and didn't pursue the matter further.

On the podium, the professor was lecturing on the dry subject of "Mathematics and Probability Statistics." In just over ten minutes, the blackboard was filled with dense formulas. Chen Duling, who had always been good at math, was completely absorbed, her hands quickly following along with the derivations and calculations.

She mumbled to herself, "P(A)=P(B1)P(A|B1)P......"

"Wow, Kimi is so cute!" A suppressed exclamation suddenly came from beside her, interrupting Chen Duling's thoughts.

Chen Duling turned her head and saw that Li Jing was actually watching a variety show on her phone. Oh right, there's a new variety show called "Where Are We Going, Dad?" which is a reality show about a group of dads and their adorable kids. It's very popular online, and it seems like everyone around her is watching it.

Not long after the first episode aired, Li Jing became a fan of the adorable Kimi, exclaiming in her dormitory like a wistful housewife, "Ah, I want a son like that too!"

Chen Duling's eyes lit up, and she immediately suggested, "Jingjing, let's have a baby. I'll be the dad, and you can be the mom."

"Okay, okay."

But after careful discussion, the two finally decided to let Chen Duling be the mother. The reason was that boys inherit their mothers' looks, and as long as he has Chen Duling's appearance, he will definitely be a handsome and cute child.

The scene returns to the present moment. Chen Duling was pulled back to reality by Li Jing's exclamation, only to feel her phone vibrate again, as it had been ringing non-stop since morning. She took it out and saw several more WeChat messages and text messages with birthday wishes. The content was largely the same, all about her birthday today.

She would politely reply with "thank you" to simple birthday wishes, but she was simply unable to handle those who were bold enough to ask her out, saying things like "I will definitely give you an unforgettable birthday."

She wanted to silence her phone completely several times, but ultimately she resisted.

"Idiot! What an idiot!" Looking at the person pinned to the top of her WeChat chat and those inquiry messages, Chen Duling was furious.

Could he be so stupid as to not even understand the step difference sequence?

"Beep beep." Li Jing suddenly leaned closer, startling Chen Duling so much that she immediately turned off her phone screen. However, her vigilance was in vain; the other person's gaze was fixed on her screen, not even glancing in her direction.

"Is today your birthday?" Li Jing asked without turning her head.

"Yeah!" Chen Duling's eyes lit up as she tried to change the subject. "Hey, how about we go for Sichuan hot pot tonight?"

Li Jing then looked away from the variety show, revealing a surprised expression.

"You...you...what happened to you? Are you serious?"

In Chen Duling's world, the word "spicy" is practically synonymous with deadly poison.

If she accidentally ingested even a tiny bit of capsaicin, she wouldn't be dancing around and sticking out her tongue like everyone else, shouting "It's so spicy!"; instead, she would be on the verge of death.

"It's my birthday, after all." Chen Duling tilted her chin up, looking confident. "This time I'm going to try... mild spicy!"

"What?! You actually want to eat mild spicy?! You'll die!" Li Jing exclaimed in horror, her eyes wide.

Li Jing is from Sichuan. Back then, naively, she took Chen Duling, who had zero tolerance for chili peppers, into a Sichuan hot pot restaurant. The scene was so terrifying it defies description. All she remembered was Chen Duling losing his mind from the spiciness and repeatedly banging his head against her stomach.

"I've improved!" Chen Duling declared confidently, her eyes gleaming with a mysterious self-assurance.

After class, the two weaved through the crowd to the cafeteria. Today was different from usual; they had to proceed cautiously, like spies. Chen Duling could handle a simple text message offensive. But there were also many self-important guys in school who liked to flirt with her.

Dealing with this kind of person is really a headache.

Fortunately, she wore a gray hoodie today and kept her head down, so she didn't attract much attention along the way.

The afternoon classes were maddeningly boring. Chen Duling's mind wasn't on the lesson at all; she kept checking her phone every few minutes. Sometimes it felt like an eternity had passed, but when she looked at her phone, only two minutes had gone by.

If a camera had been placed nearby to record the whole process, it would have shown her taking out her phone, locking it, putting it back, and then taking out her phone again at an extremely high frequency...

And so, with great difficulty, get out of class finally ended.

Just as she had boldly declared, she and Li Jing once again challenged themselves to Sichuan hot pot for dinner—a battle that was undoubtedly a matter of life and death.

Li Jing stood solemnly in front of the iron pot, where the red soup was bubbling and boiling, and the dark red chilies floating on the surface of the soup were flicking their tongues like sly snakes.

There was also a large bottle of milk on the table. If Chen Duling couldn't handle the spiciness, she could drink the milk to relieve it.

"Are you ready?" Li Jing asked.

"Ready!" Chen Duling's eyes were resolute.

At times like this, you have to press on with your momentum. Chen Duling picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat from the pot. Without hesitation, she immediately stuffed the meat into her mouth.

Boom! It felt like her tongue had been thrown into a scorching desert; a feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed her. Large beads of sweat began to pour from her forehead, and tears welled up in her eyes. Chen Duling immediately wanted to collapse and roll on the ground.

"Milk! Milk!" Li Jing shouted.

Chen Duling picked up the bottle and took a big gulp, then swiftly grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, making Li Jing's heart pound with fear.

The strange and tragic atmosphere at their table gradually attracted the attention of the other diners in the restaurant, and many people gathered around to cheer her on.

"Hey!" someone even shouted, "Keep it up, little girl!"

Chen Duling slumped in her chair, drenched in sweat, her wet hair plastered to her face. She gasped for breath, her eyes red-rimmed, yet she mechanically continued to stuff food from the pot into her mouth. Li Jing was deeply shocked; there was actually someone in this world who could overcome such pain through sheer willpower.

This isn't just eating; it's like battling your soul with the hot pot.

"You did it, Dudu!" she shouted excitedly.

However, Chen Duling ignored him, staring blankly into the void.

"not good!"

Li Jing screamed and rushed forward to hug her tightly. Sure enough, Chen Duling's body was stiff, her eyes were unfocused, and her soul had left her body.

......

"You really don't know how to control yourself!" Chen Duling heard Li Jing complain when she came to her senses.

The two were now walking along the tree-lined path back to their dormitory. Li Jing looked at Chen Duling, who was still breathing on his tongue to cool it down, and shook her head repeatedly.

"But I'm happy! Even though I eventually collapsed."

"What's so great about being happy? I fainted from the spiciness of hot pot on my birthday."

"You don't understand. If you don't bravely push your limits, you'll fall behind. I'm already far behind."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Chen Duling smiled. Yes, no one would understand. Overcoming the spiciness of hot pot was undoubtedly a miracle for her. Although it was just hot pot, if she expanded on this meaning infinitely, she believed she could do anything.

The two walked back to the campus. As they approached the dormitory building, a few people were scattered around the once empty area. They held various things—dolls, flowers, gift boxes—and, in the dim light, all looked in their direction.

"Oh dear, my school beauty," Li Jing said with a gloating expression, "what do we do now?"

These are clearly the same guys who usually think highly of themselves and try to "show off" in person. Surprisingly, they're actually able to stay together harmoniously because of Chen Duling.

Having just passed the hotpot test, Chen Duling was extremely calm; it was just a minor obstacle.

"Quiet," she said, "let's fight side by side this time."

Standing downstairs in the dormitory were several men, seemingly infatuated with love. They cautiously sized each other up, making no attempt to hide the hostility in their eyes. Although the air was thick with tension, as if it were about to explode, everyone managed to maintain a semblance of gentlemanly decorum.

But this fragile peace was eventually shattered by a figure that appeared beside the dormitory building.

"Chen Duling!" someone suddenly shouted.

That one sentence was like lighting a fuse. Everyone's eyes were suddenly drawn to that figure like spotlights. Unexpectedly, she took off running, her speed completely unlike her usual gentle and weak demeanor. This was utterly unexpected by everyone.

"Senior! Wait for me!" someone shouted, and took the lead in chasing after her.

The others also reacted one after another, shouting things like "Goddess," "Junior Sister," and "Dudu." This group of men, who were usually arrogant, were determined to give their hearts to each other today.

Under the cover of night and the shadows of the sycamore trees, Chen Duling's figure flashed past the corner of the building. When everyone arrived at the intersection, they only saw the running figure ahead, and driven by their instincts, they chased after her frantically.

After everyone had disappeared into the night, Chen Duling quietly emerged from the shade of the tree behind her.

It turned out that she had arranged for Li Jing to hide there beforehand, and the two quickly exchanged coats as she turned the corner. The running figure was actually Li Jing, wearing a hood.

Without a doubt, those who bravely pursue love are true men among men. That's why they are easily manipulated by women and waste their time on the path of love.

When Chen Duling returned to her dormitory, her heart was still pounding, just like the last time she fought alongside Su Liu.

I spent the whole day in class, even tried spicy hot pot, and finally managed to get through the heavily guarded dormitory building with my wits. Now that I've relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washes over me.

Li Jing was also exhausted, and soon after returning home, she washed up and went to bed.

But Chen Duling couldn't do that. Ever since she stubbornly posted that step difference sequence, she had been wrestling with fate. No matter what, she was going to wait.

In the quiet dormitory, only the occasional breathing of her roommates could be heard. Chen Duling, nestled under the covers, finally relaxed. It was 11:57 PM on October 18th, just three minutes until the 19th, almost there.

She looked at the message displayed on her WeChat screen: "Dudu, happy birthday!"

At that moment, all the fatigue, anxiety, and pain from the spiciness vanished instantly. Chen Duling quickly covered her mouth, trying not to laugh out loud in the quiet dormitory.

She tapped her fingers a few times and made a call to Su Liu.