Huayu: That year, I withdrew from the Super Boy competition.

Dou Xiao walked to the sink next to him and stopped.

"Um, Wei."

Su Wei kept rubbing her clothes.

Don't take Chen Mo's words to heart.

Dou Xiao's voice was low, "He didn't mean any harm, he was just a bit of a smart aleck."

Su Wei picked up the T-shirt in her hand and twisted it.

Water squeezed through his fingers and fell back into the basin.

He stopped what he was doing, turned around and glanced at Dou Xiao.

You're overthinking it.

Su Wei shook the water off her hands and wiped them on her pants.

"I didn't take it to heart. I was just a little uncomfortable for a while after what he said, but it passed quickly."

He pressed the T-shirt back into the basin and rubbed it a couple more times. "I'm not that petty."

"That's good."

Su Wei poured out the water in the basin and turned on the tap again to get clean water.

"And you? What have you been up to lately?"

Su Wei turned her head and glanced at him. "Are you still doing that part-time job outside?"

Upon hearing this, Dou Xiao's expression immediately brightened.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket, leaned against the wall, and said with great enthusiasm.

"I quit that part-time job."

Something good must be happening, because anyone could sense the smugness in his voice.

Sure enough, the next second...

"I recently found a modeling job."

Su Wei glanced at him.

"Just taking pictures and stuff."

Dou Xiao waved his hand.

"I tried it last week, and they said it was okay."

The pay is decent, and the main advantage is that I have a lot of free time.

As he said this, he reached up and scratched the back of his head, then chuckled.

"That way I won't fall too far behind in my studies."

Last time Mr. Zhou took attendance in class, I wasn't there, and I almost got marked absent.

This job allows for flexible scheduling, so I don't have to live in fear anymore.

Su Wei was happy for him and said with a smile, "That's great."

Dou Xiao glanced down at his phone, his expression changing slightly.

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore."

He put his phone back in his pocket and retreated towards the door of the laundry room.

"I have to go to rehearse later."

I missed the last rehearsal for our group's assignment, and if I don't go this time, people will really start gossiping.

He walked to the door, then turned back and gestured towards Su Wei:

"Let's talk later."

"Okay, you should go now."

Dou Xiao's footsteps faded into the distance along the corridor.

The laundry room fell silent again, with only the occasional drip of water from the faucet.

…………

That noon, Su Wei was eating alone in the cafeteria.

He ordered a rice bowl, found a corner seat, and ate it bit by bit.

People were coming and going in the cafeteria, and joking voices could be heard from the next table from time to time.

Halfway through his meal, he looked up and glanced around, his gaze instantly locking onto one person.

Pan Zhilin was standing in front of several food serving windows at that moment.

She held a tray in her left hand and her meal card in her right, hesitating in front of the crowd.

She peeked out the left window—braised pork, too greasy.

I glanced out the window to the right—eggplant, too oily.

There were too many people queuing at the middle window.

She tiptoed to take a look, then withdrew.

Su Wei watched for a while, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.

Since the start of the semester, after the military training incident, he and Pan Zhilin have only exchanged glances and nods during class, and haven't had a proper conversation.

It's not that I don't want to talk about it, it's just that everyone has been so busy lately, from auditions to rehearsals to classes, one thing after another.

But he always remembered the sanitary napkin issue.

During that military training, Pan Zhilin gave him four pieces of paper without saying a word, showing her generosity and not embarrassing him.

When he returned the items, the girl didn't say much, just a simple "It was nothing."

But Su Wei knew that sometimes the more casually someone does a favor, the more it is worth remembering.

He put his chopsticks on the bowl, stood up, and walked towards the food serving window.

Pan Zhilin was still struggling with her decision. She had examined the dishes at the three windows in front of her in turn, but she still hadn't decided what to eat.

Su Wei walked behind her and gently patted her shoulder.

"Pan, what a coincidence, you're here for dinner too."

Pan Zhilin turned around, saw it was him, and her expression changed from confusion to a faint smile:

"That's quite a coincidence."

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Wei realized she had made a stupid mistake.

It's mealtime in the cafeteria. If we don't eat, are we just here to starve?

He coughed lightly and decided to get straight to the point.

"Hey, you helped me a lot during military training, and I've never properly thanked you. This meal is on me today—"

Pan Zhilin opened her mouth to decline, but Su Wei interrupted her.

"Don't refuse, I'm serious. This time it was a bit rushed, but next time I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

He spoke very seriously when he said this, clearly not just being polite.

Pan Zhilin looked at him for two seconds, probably trying to determine if he was being polite.

Then, she probably realized that she couldn't stop this person, so she gave up resisting and took the meal card back.

"Alright then."

Su Wei nodded in satisfaction, gesturing with her chin towards her empty plate:

"What do you want to eat? Braised pork ribs are good. I just looked at them. I know that cafeteria lady very well, so I can give you extra."

"Really?"

Seriously, I'm not kidding.

Pan Zhilin was amused by him and walked towards the braised pork ribs window with the plate in her hand.

Su Wei was right; the aunt was very welcoming when she saw Su Wei.

Su Wei greeted them with a smile, then pointed to Pan Zhilin beside her.

"Auntie, this is my classmate, please take good care of him."

The aunt waved her hand and said, "No problem, I'll definitely take good care of your little girlfriend."

The two were extremely embarrassed, but they didn't offer much explanation.

Pan Zhilin stepped forward and handed over the plate, and the aunt kept trying to give her more.

Upon seeing this, Pan Zhilin quickly said that she couldn't eat that much.

The aunt then stopped.

Pan Zhilin really learned a lot on this trip.

She could understand why Su Wei was popular among girls, but she never expected that even the cafeteria ladies at school would fall for his handsome face.

She was indeed deeply shocked.

After getting their food, the two returned to the table where Su Wei had been eating and sat down.

In front of Su Wei was the same rice bowl she had just eaten.

Pan Zhilin's plate was neatly arranged with rice, braised pork ribs, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.

She glanced at the mountain of ribs, then at Su Wei's half-empty bowl.

He gave most of the ribs to Su Wei.

Su Wei was puzzled.

Her reason was simple: to lose weight.

The two then ate and chatted, talking about everything from military training to classes, from tongue twisters in acting class to leg stretches in physical education class.

Su Wei mentioned the sanitary napkins she gave him during her military training...

Pan Zhilin almost choked on her rice and pointed at him with her chopsticks, telling him to be quiet.

The two of them seemed to enjoy the meal quite a bit.

After the meal, the two parted ways at the entrance of the cafeteria and walked towards their respective dormitories.