“What flavor do you want to eat?”
Qin Yuanyuan came running over from afar and asked the question. At that moment, Chen Tingting was still frozen in place, completely missing what the other girl had said.
“Forget it, just make one of each then!”
“Little Miss, can you really finish that much? If there’s too much left over, Eldest Miss might scold you.”
Qin Xuanxuan bent down and lifted Qin Yuanyuan by the back of her collar. “Wuu, I don’t want to get scolded by Sister…”
Just the thought of being reprimanded made Qin Yuanyuan instantly droop her head in defeat. At this moment, Chen Tingting, who had been standing there listening, slowly came back to her senses.
“Thank you… I’ll have chocolate flavor, I guess.”
“Mm, excuse me, what type?”
“Eh…” Chen Tingting stared blankly at the elegant maid in front of her.
“There’s also an original flavor. How many would you like?”
“I… I can eat them all.” Chen Tingting replied in a flustered panic.
“Xuanxuan! I want—”
Just as Chen Tingting finished speaking, Qin Yuanyuan finally spoke up.
Once all three had decided, the maids headed off in an orderly fashion to prepare the desserts.
Chen Tingting remained standing in place, dazed, her small, confused eyes wandering all around the room.
“So spacious… so beautiful…”
“Alright, Sis, let’s go recharge in my room.”
Chen Tingting was pulled into a new room.
She still looked around in amazement.
This bedroom was larger than her entire house...
Recalling the messy and dim room she had lived in before, for a moment Chen Tingting thought she had died (meow) and gone to heaven.
“What is it, a... Android?”
Xia Rou walked over to Chen Tingting, her gaze still cold and wary.
“Oh, yes, Android. Round model.”
Just like that, she finally got her chance to recharge. The room was very warm and gentle.
Chen Tingting sat on a soft mat on the floor in a duckling posture, not daring to speak to the girl in front of her.
“Sis, are you online now? If your family can’t reach you, they must be worried. You should send a message quickly.”
“Thank you…” Chen Tingting lowered her head and meekly expressed her thanks.
But what the other girl said didn’t help much.
On her phone screen, only a few bizarre ads popped up.
After clearing them all with one tap, her phone was basically useless again.
Well, there’s still some money in there, my living expenses for the month.
Her living expenses only amounted to just over a thousand yuan. Every day, she ate one or two vegetarian dishes at the cafeteria, spending six to eight yuan. Then she had to buy all sorts of daily necessities, leaving only about a hundred or so for clothes.
In order to get attention, she spent almost all the leftover money on pretty clothes, never buying the thicker and more expensive ones. That was why, on such a cold day, she was still wearing a skirt.
Honestly, she had no one to blame but herself.
After waiting for quite a while, sounds finally came from the doorway again.
Plate after plate of exquisite desserts were brought in by five maids and set on the round table.
“Little Miss, if these aren’t enough, I’ll make more.”
“It’s enough, it’s enough! Now hurry and leave!” Qin Yuanyuan looked at the table full of mini desserts, practically drooling.
“Little Miss, Eldest Miss said you shouldn’t eat too many sweets before dinner. If you can’t finish your meal later, she’ll scold you.”
“Wuu, I know I know, Xuanxuan, hurry up and go!”
Qin Yuanyuan shoved Qin Xuanxuan out the door.
When she turned around, she saw Chen Tingting sitting on the chair, staring at the cakes.
“Sis, go ahead and eat. I can't eat much.”
“Thank you!” Getting permission, Chen Tingting excitedly picked up a fork.
These tiny cakes, just a few centimeters in size, probably cost dozens of yuan at her school. She could hardly afford one a week.
But now, there were so many that it looked like she wouldn’t be able to finish them all!
Without thinking too much, Chen Tingting began gobbling them down one by one. As soon as she finished one, she’d reach for the next.
She didn’t feel sick of it—she only thought they were the most delicious things in the world.
Even the tiny crumbs the fork couldn’t pick up, she licked clean with her tongue.
“?” Xia Rou watched the girl licking the plate and was rendered speechless by shock.
She had thought Chen Tingting might’ve been kidnapper (meow) earlier, but now she looked more like a runaway girl.
Had she not eaten all day? (Actually, yes.)
Xia Rou simply rested her head on her hand and quietly watched Qin Yuanyuan and the unfamiliar girl eating cake.
She couldn’t eat any herself.
“Sis, is it good?”
“So good, so good! These cakes are delicious!”
The two were now getting along extremely well.
…
In the end, most of the cakes on the table were eaten by Chen Tingting alone.
It was hard to imagine that someone so petite could eat that much.
After eating, they finally began introducing themselves to each other.
“You’re all from Summer End University? And you’re all first years—!?”
Chen Tingting was so surprised she could barely speak.
“You’re all from Summer End University? And all first years—!?” she exclaimed again, this time with a bit of delight in her voice.
But soon, she looked at Xia Rou in confusion.
The reason was simple—this girl was really pretty, a quiet and elegant beauty.
Why wasn’t she on the rankings?
Actually, the other one was quite cute too.
So that list… probably wasn’t that trustworthy after all...
They kept chatting, sharing their majors.
“Internet of Things… that sounds really familiar.” Qin Yuanyuan tilted her head.
“Oh right, that one too.”
“That one??” Chen Tingting looked puzzled.
“Oh, it’s my sister’s friend. She’s in that major too.”
“That girl tricked my sister!”
“Oh no, your sister’s so pitiful.” Chen Tingting sympathized with her.
There were too many jerks out there—she understood.
Even though she was a jerk herself.
“Exactly!”
“That girl even bites, and my sister still likes her!”
“Bites people…” Chen Tingting found it baffling, but listened earnestly.
And so, the conversation went on for quite a while.
It was the first time Chen Tingting chatted with others without any ulterior motives.
That feeling—strangely enough—was quite relaxing.
Her mood lightened a bit, and she finally decided to return to the dormitory.
“Sis Chen, aren’t you staying?”
“No, I live in the dorms. If I go back too late, they’ll mark me down.”
“Alright… bye-bye!”
After sending Qin Xuanxuan to walk Chen Tingting out, Qin Yuanyuan returned to the bedroom.
“Sister Rou, time for dinner.” She playfully tugged at Xia Rou’s collar like she always did.
“I don’t really want to eat. Yuanyuan, you go ahead.” Xia Rou’s tone was quiet, and her expression just as gloomy.
“Sister Rou… are you mad at me?”
Qin Yuanyuan seemed to think of something and blurted it out.
“?”
Xia Rou was startled for a moment, but when she lifted her head and saw Qin Yuanyuan’s innocent eyes, she realized she had been overthinking.
“Yuanyuan, don’t call me ‘Sister’ anymore. Just call me Rourou.”
“Eh?” Qin Yuanyuan blinked in confusion.
…
Meanwhile, half an hour later, Chen Tingting returned to Dorm 216.
“Tingting, it’s almost eleven. Let me guess—you were off having fun with some rich boyfriend again?”
The moment she stepped in, a “concerned” roommate spoke up.
But Chen Tingting said nothing.
“Ooh, looks like a fancy box of dessert for you. Let me see… not even a label?”
“Must’ve cost a pretty penny, huh?”
Her roommate smiled warmly at her.
Chen Tingting still didn’t respond, just carefully placed the box of cake on her desk.
“By the way, you missed class meeting today, right? I recorded a video. It was way livelier than usual. Wanna watch?”
The roommate eagerly scooted closer and played a clip from the welcoming event.
She was waiting to see a twisted, jealous reaction.
But after nearly a full minute, even after the applause ended, Chen Tingting’s expression didn’t change at all.
“Yeah, looks lively. So?”
Chen Tingting replied coolly.
“Huh?” The roommate was stunned.
“Huh?” She repeated, still stunned.
“That’s the new girl in our class, Su Xiaoyun. Lots of people like her,” she quickly added.
“Mm, I saw. Thanks for recording it.”
“O-okay…”
The roommate frowned, took back her phone, and said no more.
She figured Chen Tingting must’ve shut down emotionally. That calmness proved it. Coming back this late? That was enough evidence.
Once she left, she kept peeking secretly—and soon enough, her attention turned to the cake.
“This cake from your boyfriend looks pretty delicious. I even shot a video for you, remember.”
Chen Tingting was reviewing her notes when she looked up and saw the roommate holding the cake box she had carefully set aside.
“What… what are you doing?” She quickly reached out in a panic.
“Don’t panic… Eh!? Why isn’t this sealed properly?”
Before long, the entire cake fell to the ground—right in front of Chen Tingting’s eyes.
It had been a kind gesture from that girl.
“You…” Chen Tingting glared at her roommate with eyes sharp enough to kill.
“Don’t look at me like that. You didn’t rush to grab it, and I didn’t run either. Besides, how was I supposed to know it wasn’t sealed? Isn’t saying sorry enough?”
Chen Tingting turned and stared painfully at the cake, now smashed on the floor.
After a moment of hesitation, she crouched down and scooped up a bit of cake with her fingers.
“So good…”
“Pfft…” Behind her, the roommate was barely holding back her laughter as she stealthily opened her phone camera.
But in the next second, Chen Tingting stood up in front of her.
Smack!!
The crisp, sharp slap instantly drew attention from the entire dorm.
“What’s going on? You just got back and already fighting?” The uninterested roommates finally looked up.
“You! You actually hit me?!”
“You’re insane!”
“I already apologized! That cake wasn’t even worth a few yuan!”
The slapped roommate clutched her reddened cheek, fuming so much her mouth twisted.
“Say one more word, and I’ll slap you again!” Chen Tingting raised her hand, ready to strike again.
“You dare treat your roommate like this… just wait, I recorded it all. Tomorrow I’m posting it on the wall!”
Tears welled up in her roommate’s eyes as she held back sobs.
“Go ahead.”
Chen Tingting couldn’t care less. She soon crouched back down, continuing to scoop up the fallen cake and eat it.
“What happened, what happened?”
Only then did the other curious roommates finally put their phones down.
…
…
Time shifted back to earlier that day, before noon.
In a rented apartment, Su Yun was about to help Qin Xue change into a looser outfit.
“Take a rest first, then change yourself, okay?”
“No can do, I’ve got no strength left. Xiaoyun, help me change~”
At the edge of the bed, a seductive older sister with a generous bust swayed her body, tempting Su Yun.
Those swaying hemispheres mirrored the chaos in her heart.
What was going on with Sister Xue today? She even needed help changing clothes now?
(End of Chapter)