"They're here!"
"Let's do this!"
At Zhao Luyuan's command, he turned and ran.
Chen Jiashu followed closely, still chewing on his bun but not slowing down at all.
Zhou Shuhang stood still.
Lu Yibei glanced at him.
"Aren't you going after them?"
"There's still ten minutes before the cafeteria opens for lunch."
"Then why are those two running?"
"Maybe they want the cafeteria auntie to see their youthful energy."
The two of them descended the stairs at a leisurely pace. By the time they reached the Second Cafeteria, the windows had just opened for lunch.
Chen Jiashu was at the front, holding a tray, his movements fluid and smooth. He got his food, swiped his card, and found a seat. Only when a plate of sweet and sour ribs was securely in front of him did his tense shoulders relax.
"Safe."
Zhao Luyuan sat down beside him with his tray, glancing at his food.
"Can you finish all that?"
"Are you doubting my professional capabilities?"
"I'm concerned about your blood sugar."
"Thanks, my blood sugar is currently stable."
Zhou Shuhang sat down and placed his tray on the table.
"Don't ask. He eats buns in the morning not because he's hungry, but to ensure his stomach isn't empty before lunch."
Chen Jiashu paused mid-reach for the ribs.
"Zhou Shuhang, you're getting more hurtful with your words lately."
"Thanks for the recognition."
Lu Yibei took a couple of bites of his rice.
These were his three roommates.
One was responsible for creating noise, another for ending the noise with a single sentence, and the last one treated the noise as entertainment to accompany his meal.
The cafeteria gradually filled with people. A long line formed at the food counter, and the sounds of trays clashing, people talking, and numbers being called mixed together. The air conditioning couldn't suppress the bustling atmosphere.
Lu Yibei had only eaten a few bites when Zhao Luyuan suddenly put down his chopsticks and nudged him with his elbow.
"Hey, look at the entrance."
"Look at what?"
"Don't be too obvious."
Lu Yibei picked up his soup bowl and, under the guise of drinking, glanced towards the cafeteria entrance.
A group of people had just entered.
In the center was a boy, his hair meticulously styled, wearing a jacket clearly unsuitable for the cafeteria's temperature. He had a long-haired girl on his left arm and a short-haired girl on his right, with someone behind them holding a phone stabilizer.
The phone camera was pointed directly at the three of them.
Every step the boy took seemed calculated, ensuring his face was captured by the camera without blocking the girls on either side, all while maintaining a semi-permanent smile.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Today, I'm taking you to experience Pengcheng University's cafeteria. They say our food here is great, and Brother Hai is here to try it himself."
Zhao Luyuan leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"See that? What a poser."
Zhou Shuhang looked up at him.
"Do you have a grudge against him?"
"No grudge, but the algorithm seems to have one against me." Zhao Luyuan used his chopsticks to cover his mouth. "It keeps pushing his live streams to my face, and blocking doesn't help. Big data thinks I love watching, but I ask you, do I?"
As he spoke, he nodded towards the entrance.
"This guy's always here building his persona. Even coming to the cafeteria, he has to have a girl on each arm, claiming in his stream that they're both his girlfriends, the department beauties of Pengcheng University."
Chen Jiashu finally tore his attention away from the ribs.
"Do those two know they're department beauties?"
"That's not important, as long as the livestream audience believes it."
Zhao Luyuan's voice dropped even lower.
"In reality, who knows which bar he hired these amateur actresses from. I wonder if his dad's allowance this month is enough to pay their wages."
Lu Yibei looked over.
"You seem to know quite a bit."
"When you're surfing the internet, you can't help but sip some dirty water," Zhao Luyuan said. "Just wait, it's about to start."
"Start what?"
Zhao Luyuan put down his chopsticks, eyes locked on the entrance, and quietly counted down.
"Three."
The livestream camera stepped back a couple of paces, capturing the three of them in full view.
"Two."
Brother Hai adjusted his hair, and the girls on either side leaned in closer.
"One."
Suddenly, Brother Hai raised his voice, shouting to the entire cafeteria, "Who's the most handsome in all of Pengcheng University!"
The cafeteria fell silent for a moment.
The long-haired girl immediately raised her hand, smiling perfectly.
"Brother Hai is the most handsome!"
The short-haired girl was a beat slower but echoed, "Brother Hai is the most handsome!"
The two leaned against his shoulders, their movements so practiced it was as if they'd rehearsed.
No, it should be said, they had rehearsed.
Several tables of students looked over. Some were bewildered, some stifled laughter, and others pulled out their phones to document this sudden piece of campus performance art.
Lu Yibei's mouth twitched.
This was truly extravagant.
With so many people around, pulling such a stunt, was this the ultimate form of freedom?
Zhao Luyuan pressed his lips together, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"See? Didn't I say it? Not a second off."
Zhou Shuhang picked up a piece of green vegetable.
"That means you're a loyal viewer."
"Get lost, I'm just knowing my enemy."
"Are you planning to hit him?"
"I'm planning to combat feudal superstition."
Chen Jiashu, chewing on a rib, mumbled, "What feudal superstition?"
Zhao Luyuan looked serious.
"Someone's superstitious about his own handsomeness."
Lu Yibei couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The sound wasn't loud, but their table wasn't far from the livestream crew. The person holding the stabilizer turned the camera towards them upon hearing the laugh.
Zhao Luyuan's smile vanished instantly.
"Keep your head down."
Lu Yibei asked, "What's wrong?"
"Don't let them film me."
"Weren't you just being brave?"
"First rule of surfing the internet: always protect yourself when commenting on others."
Among the four of them, only Zhao Luyuan buried his face in his tray. Zhou Shuhang continued eating calmly, and Chen Jiashu even pulled the remaining ribs closer to himself.
The camera swept past their table.
Brother Hai clearly noticed Zhao Luyuan avoiding the camera and walked over with the two girls.
"Hey, buddy, no need to be shy."
Zhao Luyuan looked up, his face now wearing an innocent expression.
"No, I was just looking for my chopsticks."
Brother Hai glanced at the chopsticks in his hand.
"Aren't you holding them?"
"Just found them."
The livestream camera moved closer.
Brother Hai smiled and asked, "You guys are from Pengcheng University, right? Say hi to the brothers in the livestream."
Zhao Luyuan's eyes darted, about to speak, but Zhou Shuhang spoke first.
"Hello."
"And?"
"Goodbye."
The person holding the stabilizer's hand shook slightly.
Whatever was happening in the livestream chat, Lu Yibei couldn't see. But judging from Brother Hai's brief pause, the comments were probably laughing hard.
Brother Hai quickly recovered, his gaze landing on Lu Yibei.
"You look familiar, are you a streamer too?"
"No."
"Do you watch livestreams?"
"Occasionally."
"Have you seen Brother Hai's?"
Lu Yibei was about to say no, but caught sight of Zhao Luyuan winking at him furiously.
His eyes were filled with three words.
Stir things up.
Lu Yibei thought for a moment, then replied seriously.
"Just watched."
"How was it?"
"Quite extravagant."
Brother Hai's smile became a bit more genuine.
"How so?"
"Most people doing this would care about the eyes of those around them." Lu Yibei glanced around. "You don't care at all. Spiritual wealth is also wealth."
Someone at the next table couldn't hold back and choked on their soup.
Zhao Luyuan kept his head down, shaking like he was in vibration mode.
Brother Hai's smile froze for half a second.
"You're quite humorous."
"That's what everyone says."
The short-haired girl turned her face away, unable to suppress her smile. The long-haired girl maintained her professional smile, but her hand on Brother Hai's arm quietly loosened.
Brother Hai clearly didn't want to continue this topic, signaling the camera to turn away.
"Brothers, let's go see what's on the menu today."
He had just taken a step when the long-haired girl suddenly asked in a low voice.
"So, are we still counting this as two hours?"
Her voice wasn't loud.
But the phone stabilizer passed right by, with excellent audio capture.
Brother Hai paused for a moment.
The short-haired girl reacted quickly, immediately tugging her companion. The person holding the stabilizer quickly turned the camera towards the food counter, loudly introducing today's dishes.
The whole process was smooth and practiced, clearly a team that had weathered many storms.
Zhao Luyuan waited until they were far away before collapsing onto the table in laughter.
"Two hours, hahaha, two department beauties by the hour!"
Zhou Shuhang said calmly, "Keep it down, don't disturb their hourly wage calculation."
Chen Jiashu popped the last rib into his mouth.
"So which department are they from?"
"The Technician Department," Lu Yibei said.
This time even Zhou Shuhang lowered his head with a chuckle.
On the way back to the dorm, Zhao Luyuan had already found the livestream recording in the campus group chat, titled "Brother Hai's Two Department Beauties Exposed, Actually from the Technician Department."
"See? In just a minute, the gossip forms a complete industry chain."
Zhou Shuhang glanced at it. "Two hours might require overtime."
The four of them bantered about trivial things all the way back to the dorm.
After an early morning class and a cafeteria reality show, by the time Lu Yibei returned to his seat, sleepiness had reclaimed its territory. He placed his textbook on the desk, kicked off his shoes, and climbed into bed.
Zhao Luyuan was still below, watching that recording, his laughter erupting every few seconds.
"Stop laughing." Lu Yibei pulled up his blanket. "Let me sleep for a bit."
"Sleep, sleep. I'll wake you for the afternoon class."
"Record that sentence, so you can't deny it later."
"Can't there be some trust between people?"
Zhou Shuhang's voice came from across the room.
"No."
The dorm quieted down after a few more jokes.
Lu Yibei closed his eyes.
Sunlight fell on the edge of the bed, the fan turned slowly. Occasionally, footsteps passed by in the hallway, the sound filtering through the door.
He only intended to sleep for half an hour, to recharge for the afternoon.
Just as his consciousness began to blur, a cold, clear voice, definitely not belonging to anyone in the dorm, suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding!"
"System binding successful."