That Peculiar Colleague
Lu Ji didn’t notice the slight movement behind him, but Meng Zhizhuo, who was facing him, caught sight of the sneaky figure.
The corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted, his peach blossom eyes brimming with affection.
Frowning beneath his tousled hair, Lu Ji followed his gaze to Su Yuning behind him. She had just taken a step forward, but before she could feel any joy, her hand trembled wildly as she saw an unfamiliar number on her phone. Reflexively, she hung up immediately.
Little did she know that this action seemed to have stirred up a hornet’s nest. Her phone buzzed repeatedly, and from the looks of it, it probably wasn’t a spam call.
Afraid that her feigned illness might have been exposed, Su Yuning answered with a trembling, guilty voice, “Hello?”
At the school, Zuo Xingyan, who had searched everywhere without finding her, was initially furious. But hearing her voice, he couldn’t help but feel amused, his anger completely extinguished by the sweet, honey-like tone.
He had intended to scare her a little, to prevent her from running off without a word again.
She had even lied about having a stomachache. Worried, he had rushed to her dormitory but couldn’t find her anywhere. He feared something might have happened to her in the dorm or that she might have fainted in the bathroom, so he even barged into the women’s restroom to search.
But his tone couldn’t harden no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he only pretended to be displeased and asked, “Where did you go? Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”
Su Yuning glanced at the number again, puzzled. Her father’s voice wasn’t this young and pleasant, so this probably wasn’t his new phone number, right?
But aside from her own father, she couldn’t think of any other male who would care about her.
“Who is this? You must have the wrong number.”
Hearing this matter-of-fact response, Zuo Xingyan laughed in exasperation. “Zuo Xingyan. Girlfriend, this is my number.”
“Who’s your girlfriend?” Su Yuning grumbled discontentedly, though she didn’t dare say it too loudly, muttering under her breath instead.
Zuo Xingyan’s sharp ears caught it. “Fine, not girlfriend. You’re my Ningning.”
Su Yuning: Gag.
Zuo Xingyan’s group of friends, who happened to overhear this, chimed in: Eww—
Someone whispered, “Brother Zuo is so cheesy and gross.”
Zuo Xingyan shot them a glare and moved farther away with his phone, wanting to say a few more words to her. But then he heard Su Yuning’s deliberately exaggerated voice on the other end: “What did you say— Hello? Hello? I can’t hear you— I’m hanging up now, beep—”
Without giving Zuo Xingyan another chance to speak, the call was abruptly disconnected.
Not far away, the group of students clearly saw Zuo Xingyan’s face darken visibly.
Back with Su Yuning, having just dealt with one caller, she didn’t have time to catch her breath before she heard Meng Zhizhuo’s voice. He seemed to ask casually, nonchalantly, “A male classmate? You really are popular, aren’t you?” He winked playfully, his gaze electric, causing several girls who kept “passing by” to hold their breath and clutch their chests.
Lu Ji also stared at her without saying a word.
Su Yuning: She was tired of saying it, but this was all so baffling.
Also, had her luck with romance been too good lately? Where had she ever seen so many god-level handsome guys before? And why were they all flocking to her side?
When Meng Zhizhuo’s affectionate peach blossom eyes swept over her, she shuddered and hurriedly averted her gaze, silently chanting to herself: Stay calm, stay calm! This one clearly belongs to the playboy type. Only a beauty of his caliber could make a prodigal son repent. What does that have to do with an ordinary girl like me?
Maybe he’s just a habitual player, treating every member of the opposite sex with ambiguous affection!
As for Lu Ji.
Su Yuning looked at him—a pampered little prince, beautiful and fragile like crystal, and incredibly kind-hearted, always eager to help others!
Zuo Xingyan… probably just had too much free time.
Yes, that must be it.
Otherwise, what else could it be? Were all these handsome guys collectively blind? Or had they all gone crazy?
Don’t overthink it. It’s fine to indulge in a little Mary Sue fantasy.
Su Yuning mentally scolded herself, and her outward demeanor became even more natural.
She even met Meng Zhizhuo’s misty, affectionate eyes with a completely unflinching gaze.
She finally looked up at him!
Meng Zhizhuo felt as if a joyful little deer had crashed into his heart. His male courtship instincts made him subtly show off like a peacock spreading its feathers. However, upon closer inspection, he couldn’t find even a hint of what he wanted to see in Su Yuning’s eyes, and his heart instantly sank.
Lu Ji then met Su Yuning’s gaze, his heart trembling as he hurriedly looked away, his breathing instantly becoming rapid and his ears turning bright red.
Lin Shuiqing nervously smoothed her hair.
Su Yuning glanced at the three of them, feasted her eyes, then casually waved her hand and walked away. This time, no one could stop her.
Watching her retreating figure without a trace of reluctance, Lin Shuiqing stopped combing her long hair, Lu Ji’s flushed face faded as he lowered his eyes, and Meng Zhizhuo’s ever-smiling lips tightened, the beautiful light in his eyes gradually cooling.
The three exchanged glances, no longer in the mood for conversation. Lu Ji stood up and left, slowly following Su Yuning’s figure back to his car.
Meng Zhizhuo looked at Lin Shuiqing and rubbed his temples.
He had originally thought she suited his taste quite well, but after meeting Su Yuning, he even began to regret his relationship with Lin Shuiqing.
Lin Shuiqing kept her head down, her expression unclear, but when Meng Zhizhuo suggested ending their relationship, she didn’t argue or try to stop him. After a brief pause, she nodded in agreement.
Su Yuning paid no mind to the others. She went from one job application to another and finally found a restaurant willing to hire her!
Her main job was serving dishes, and while the pay wasn’t high, it was still a source of income.
Moreover, the hours were flexible, allowing her to work as a part-timer after school every day until 10 p.m.
Su Yuning was overjoyed and started working that very day.
The restaurant owner was a decent person. Besides her, the new part-time hire, there was also a young man working as a temporary waiter.
According to the owner, the young man’s name was Shen Xiuhuai. He was slender and pale.
Unlike Lu Ji, whose paleness was fragile and crystal-like, Shen Xiuhuai’s pallor was silent and shadowy.
He was a university student from a prestigious school nearby. Unlike the Aristocratic Academy, his university was known for its high standards, and only the most exceptional students could get in. Not to mention, Shen Xiuhuai was the top-ranked freshman in his year.
The owner introduced the two of them to each other, and when he mentioned this, Su Yuning’s eyes lit up with admiration, as if she were gazing upon a god.
Shen Xiuhuai showed no reaction to her. He didn’t even look at her directly. Only when the owner asked him to show the new hire the ropes did he glance at Su Yuning. After two seconds, he gave a cold “Mm.”
Alright, he’s an aloof genius!
There wasn’t much to teach about carrying trays. Shen Xiuhuai briefly explained a few things, and Su Yuning nodded to show she understood. Whenever she had any questions, she would run to ask the kindest-looking auntie in the kitchen.
The auntie was just as warm-hearted and talkative as she looked.
She quickly became familiar with Su Yuning and even secretly gossiped with her in private: “Little Huai is a good kid, just not very talkative. He’s handsome, tall, and an excellent student, but his family situation isn’t great. His mother has been bedridden for a long time. Back then, the school waived his tuition fees, and he received quite a bit in scholarships every year, but it still wasn’t enough. That’s why he has to take on part-time jobs.”
Su Yuning: “Oh.”
She wanted to say how unfortunate Shen Xiuhuai’s situation was, but then she thought—at least he had good looks and an education, and his mother would eventually recover. In contrast, she herself had nothing—no money, no prospects. What right did she have to pity him?
So, in the end, she only managed to squeeze out one sentence: “Well, he’s quite capable.”