The little chubby bird circled around the two of them like a starving bird. As the food on the table gradually disappeared, it grew more and more anxious.
Lin Zheng pretended not to hear a thing. There wasn’t even enough food for her and Gu Yanche, so she couldn’t be bothered with the system.
Besides, the system couldn’t starve to death anyway.
The girl kept praising him nonstop, and every word came from the bottom of her heart.
Gu Yanche’s face was a little red. He wasn’t sure whether it was from the heat rising from the food or from her praise.
They were just three simple dishes, yet she was this satisfied.
Cao Rui had been right. His girlfriend loved him, which was why she didn’t want to spend money, liked eating the food he cooked, and wanted to stick close to him…
She hadn’t done anything wrong. She simply loved him too much.
And he was too poor, unable to give her much.
He still had to work hard to make money.
That night, Gu Yanche set up his street stall to sell grilled cold noodles.
Lin Zheng originally didn’t want to go, but Gu Yanche said she could have milk tea, and she couldn’t resist the temptation.
The milk tea was room temperature and sweet, with lots of toppings, which somewhat made up for the fact that there was no ice.
In the Student Dormitory
The girls were engaged in heated discussion.
A picture was posted in the dormitory group chat.
“The grilled cold noodle vendor is here?”
“Girls, let’s go buy some grilled cold noodles!”
“Who’s going? Let’s go together!”
“I’m not going! He already has a girlfriend. Look how clingy they are. They’re probably locked together for good and won’t break up. I don’t have a chance!”
Jiang Manshu tapped her on the head.
“No chance means no chance. Don’t you think the grilled cold noodles he makes are really authentic?”
“I want some!”
“Class monitor, are you really going there to eat grilled cold noodles? You’re not going to look at the handsome guy?”
Jiang Manshu spoke righteously.
“The handsome guy always wears a mask. There’s no point looking at him. I want to look at the pretty girl!”
She looked excited.
“Don’t you think the grilled cold noodle vendor’s girlfriend is gorgeous?”
Her roommate stared at her.
“Class monitor, be honest. Are you into both men and women?”
Jiang Manshu: “Of course not! I just like looking at handsome men and beautiful women. Pure appreciation. Unlike you guys!”
Her roommates remained skeptical.
Who knew?
Jiang Manshu didn’t care whether they believed her. She would watch for now. If that vendor ever broke up with his girlfriend, she’d immediately go after him!
There were only men she didn’t want, never men she couldn’t get!
She had absolute confidence in herself.
Gu Yanche, the person at the center of all this, knew nothing about it.
Given his personality, even if he knew, he wouldn’t care.
Other than Lin Zheng, everyone else was unimportant.
They weren’t even within the scope of his consideration.
Whenever a customer came to buy grilled cold noodles, Gu Yanche would make them. When there were no customers, he kept an eye on Lin Zheng.
He wanted to make sure she wasn’t secretly sneaking off to buy iced milk tea again.
Lin Zheng ate her scallion pancake bit by bit, trying to find an opportunity to sneak off and buy iced milk tea.
She hadn’t expected him to watch her so closely.
She didn’t have a single chance!
She could only give up.
Lin Zheng sighed.
Life was hard.
Nearby, the system was happily gulping down its milk tea. Seeing it made Lin Zheng jealous.
Afraid Lin Zheng would stop it from drinking milk tea, the system hurriedly flew away.
If it didn’t drink in front of her, she probably wouldn’t care.
Lin Zheng: “……”
How thoughtful of it!
She hadn’t enjoyed such considerate service in years!
“Boss, one deluxe grilled cold noodle!”
Lin Zheng looked up and saw a girl who came almost every night to buy grilled cold noodles.
A regular customer.
Jiang Manshu also looked toward Lin Zheng.
She was wearing makeup, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and a long dress.
When she smiled, she looked like a pure white lotus flower.
Lin Zheng immediately knew she’d come prepared.
A white-lotus beauty.
She was definitely here for the male lead!
Among all the girls who came to buy grilled cold noodles, this white-lotus beauty stood out the most.
Lin Zheng couldn’t be bothered to change her strategy.
They were both supporting female characters, after all.
Supporting female characters didn’t discriminate against supporting female characters.
Jiang Manshu, however, had completely different thoughts from Lin Zheng.
Anything she wanted, she had to get!
He was only a boyfriend, not a husband.
She could steal him!
She smiled and walked over to Lin Zheng.
“Little girl, did you come here with your big brother to set up the stall?”
Lin Zheng looked up.
“Holy crap!”
Was she talking to her?
What the hell did she mean by “little girl”? Where was she little?!
This was a blatant insult!
Jiang Manshu lightly covered her mouth, looking shocked.
“Little girl, how can you swear at people?”
Lin Zheng stood up.
She wasn’t short, and she was about the same height as Jiang Manshu.
Only then did Jiang Manshu realize that the other girl was just as tall as her!
Damn it.
She’d already lost in terms of presence!
Lin Zheng crossed her arms.
“Nonsense! Where exactly am I little?”
She deliberately puffed out her chest for Jiang Manshu to see.
“Where am I little? I’m Mount Everest, while you’re a little snack!”
“I’m so big it’ll drive you insane with jealousy!”
Jiang Manshu gritted her teeth.
Was this woman insane?!
Was “little” even the point?
The point was “girl”!
“Little—no, sister, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant.”
Lin Zheng put on the arrogant expression exclusive to a supporting female character.
“That is exactly what you meant!”
She patted Jiang Manshu on the shoulder earnestly.
“I understand you! You’re jealous because you’re small, so you envy people who are bigger!”
“Everyone gets jealous sometimes!”
“It’s okay. If you’re small, you’re small. It’s not like being small means you’re eating someone else’s rice. Stay small long enough and you’ll get used to it…”
Jiang Manshu’s face was practically twisted with rage.
“You—you—you! How can you say that about me?!”
Lin Zheng blinked.
“Me? I was comforting you!”
The other girls who had come to buy grilled cold noodles couldn’t help laughing.
Even the people nearby who had heard their conversation were laughing.
“Hahahaha!”
Especially those with low thresholds for laughter—they couldn’t hold it back at all.
Jiang Manshu’s face turned red, then green.
She glared at Lin Zheng and turned around, walking away.
Lin Zheng shouted after her:
“Hey! Beautiful! It’s okay if you’re upset, but don’t forget your grilled cold noodles!”
Jiang Manshu’s voice came from behind.
“Feed them to the dog!”
Under everyone’s complicated gazes, Lin Zheng snatched the deluxe grilled cold noodles from Gu Yanche’s hands.
“Even dogs won’t eat them. I’ll eat them!”
Everyone: “……”
“Hahahaha!”
“What an interesting girl!”
…
Gu Yanche had heard the entire conversation between Lin Zheng and that girl.
He had initially thought that if Lin Zheng couldn’t handle her, he would step in.
But he hadn’t expected Lin Zheng’s attack power to be so terrifying.
She was also completely shameless.
She’d driven the other girl away and could still calmly eat the grilled cold noodles.
None of that was what concerned Gu Yanche.
The important question was: Had she understood what that girl was implying?
Or was she not actually as concerned about him as she appeared?
Gu Yanche looked at the woman who had transformed into a complete foodie and sighed inwardly.
Sometimes, he really couldn’t understand what was going through her mind.
But if she didn’t have him in her heart, she wouldn’t have stayed with him in that rented apartment and suffered alongside him.
Most likely, she simply hadn’t understood what the other girl meant.
Once Gu Yanche figured that out, the furrow between his brows relaxed, and he continued making the grilled cold noodles.
“Gu Xiaoche!”
He turned around.
His mask had been removed, and a fragrant bite of grilled cold noodles was immediately fed into his mouth.
Lin Zheng smiled at him.
“Don’t be touched. A girlfriend is supposed to spoil her boyfriend.”
“I’ll take care of my man!”
“You’ve been making grilled cold noodles for so long. You must be hungry, right? Come eat some and replenish your energy so you can keep working!”
“Come, come, come! Your thoughtful girlfriend is here to serve you!”
After seeing him swallow the food, a triumphant smile spread across the girl’s chubby face.
Her eyes sparkled like the brightest stars in the night sky.
There was a little sauce stuck to the corner of her mouth, but she didn’t notice it at all.
Gu Yanche used a tissue to wipe it away for her, his movements gentle.
Lin Zheng fed most of the grilled cold noodles to Gu Yanche.
“Perfect. Not a single bit wasted. Our Gu Xiaoche is the best boyfriend!”
She patted him on the head, her eyes full of encouragement.
Gu Yanche lowered his head slightly and looked at Lin Zheng.
He watched her smug little expression, the curve of her lips, and the stars sparkling in her eyes.