Chapter 186: The Cafeteria!

Outer Court, Dormitory Building, Room 226.

Lying in bed, Jing Shaoyu was in a hazy state of consciousness when the ringing of his communicator suddenly woke him up. He answered, bringing it to his ear, just as an excited voice rang out.

"Xiaoyu-gege, hurry and open the door! Sister Gu Yue and I are right outside your dorm!"

Jing Shaoyu immediately snapped awake. He sat up abruptly and replied, "Alright, I'm coming."

Without hesitation, he pushed open the bedroom door and stepped into the living room, heading toward the dormitory entrance. As he walked, he subconsciously glanced at the opposite room, noticing that the door was closed. He wasn't sure if his roommate was inside or not.

Opening the door, he found Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue standing outside. Seeing him, Xu Xiaoyan beamed and asked, "Xiaoyu-gege, were you sleeping just now?"

"I was just lying down to rest for a bit and accidentally fell asleep," Jing Shaoyu explained with a smile, then gestured for them to come in. "Come in first, give me a few minutes."

"Hehe, sure!" Neither Xu Xiaoyan nor Gu Yue hesitated and walked in directly.

Since it was the first day, there wasn't anything in the dorm that girls needed to avoid. That was why Jing Shaoyu let them in so casually. But after some time, once the dorm became more lived-in, he'd definitely have to consider his roommates' opinions before making such decisions.

"This looks just like our dorm," Xu Xiaoyan commented as she glanced around, sounding a little unimpressed.

"What were you expecting?" Jing Shaoyu chuckled.

"Hehe, I thought the boys' dorms might be bigger, but they're the same size as ours!" Xu Xiaoyan teased playfully.

The three of them entered Jing Shaoyu's bedroom, where Xu Xiaoyan and Gu Yue naturally sat on his bed. Feeling the lingering warmth left by Jing Shaoyu, Xu Xiaoyan's cheeks flushed slightly, and a hint of excitement flickered in her eyes.

Jing Shaoyu washed his face with cold water, dried it with a towel, and then walked out, saying, "Alright, let's go eat."

"Mm-hmm!" Xu Xiaoyan nodded, her face still a bit red. She took a few quick steps to his left side and grabbed his left hand. Seeing this, Gu Yue was unwilling to be left out, silently stepping to his right and holding his right hand.

With both hands occupied, Jing Shaoyu felt a little helpless. He sighed, "Can we hold hands outside instead? It's kind of inconvenient in the room."

"No!" Xu Xiaoyan shook her head stubbornly.

Gu Yue was even more direct—she simply turned her head away, silently expressing her stance.

"Alright, alright." Jing Shaoyu could only sigh in resignation as he held both their hands and walked out of the bedroom, heading toward the dorm entrance.

Just as they reached the door and were about to open it, a "beep" sounded from outside, and then the door opened on its own. A thin young man appeared before them, and an awkward atmosphere instantly filled the air.

However, the young man merely glanced at them indifferently, his face devoid of expression as he said, "Move aside."

His voice was clear yet emotionless, as cold as a machine. The chilling demeanor took all three of them by surprise.

"Sorry about that," Jing Shaoyu quickly responded, realizing that this must be his roommate. He apologized politely before stepping aside with Gu Yue and Xu Xiaoyan to make way.

The young man walked straight in, heading to his room without a single glance at them. He opened the door, entered, and closed it behind him in one fluid motion, exuding an unmistakable aura of cold detachment that kept others at a distance.

The three exchanged glances before Xu Xiaoyan whispered, "Xiaoyu-gege, your roommate seems really hard to get along with."

"It's fine." Jing Shaoyu smiled. "If he's just difficult to approach, that's no big deal. As long as he's not a bad person, I don't mind keeping things peaceful."

"His aura is strong. He's likely at the Soul Elder level," Gu Yue mused thoughtfully.

"Alright, let's go eat first." Jing Shaoyu squeezed both girls' hands and smiled. "As for my roommate, I'll handle it myself."

"Okay," Gu Yue agreed.

"Hehe, Xiaoyu-gege, let's eat at the cafeteria first, then explore the academy afterward. How about it?" Xu Xiaoyan suggested playfully. "I heard there are lots of fun places to check out!"

"Sounds good to me," Jing Shaoyu agreed.

---

Shrek Academy's Cafeteria

The academy's cafeteria was enormous, a massive square building with each side stretching over a thousand meters. It stood ten meters tall but had only one floor. Despite that, it was spacious enough to accommodate all the Outer Court students at once.

When Jing Shaoyu and the others arrived, the place was at peak occupancy. Nearly all the students and faculty members from the Outer Court were present—around a thousand people in total. Yet, the cafeteria was so large that it didn't feel crowded at all.

For regular students, meals at the cafeteria were completely free. They could eat as much as they wanted, however they wanted. The only rule was that food couldn't be wasted. If a student was caught wasting food, the cafeteria's disciplinary squad would step in, docking their credits and fining them.

Around ten squad members, identifiable by their red armbands, patrolled the cafeteria, their sharp eyes scanning for any violations.

At that moment, one particular student caught the attention of several enforcers—his table was piled high with food. One squad member immediately approached him.

"I'm Xie Peichen from the Academy's Disciplinary Squad. Which class are you from? Why did you take so much food? Don't you know the school rules? Wasting food results in a tenfold fine!" Xie Peichen, a cold-faced young man around twenty years old, questioned sternly.

The student in question was none other than Tang Wulin. Initially confused by Xie Peichen's approach, Tang Wulin quickly realized his actions had drawn too much attention.

"Senior, I can finish all of this! I promise I won't waste a single bite!" Tang Wulin declared with confidence.

"You? Eat all this alone?" Xie Peichen's voice rose a few notches. He had assumed Tang Wulin had taken so much food to share with others, but hearing otherwise made him feel mocked. Looking at the mountain of food—enough for at least thirty people—he frowned. "Are you messing with me?"

"No, senior!" Tang Wulin protested. "I have a huge appetite. This might not even be enough!"

Xie Peichen's face darkened. To him, Tang Wulin was just making excuses. He coldly said, "Fine, then I'll watch you eat. If you can't finish it, don't blame me for sending you to the Disciplinary Office!"

"Deal!" Tang Wulin patted his chest confidently. "Just watch!"

And so, the cafeteria witnessed an astonishing scene—a seemingly ordinary thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy methodically devouring an entire mountain of food. His pace wasn't rushed, but the pile before him shrank steadily as he ate everything in sight.

"That's... Tang Wulin!"

The commotion caught Jing Shaoyu and his friends' attention. They turned toward the source and were immediately left speechless. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they quickly distanced themselves from the area, not wanting to be associated.

Finding a quieter spot, they grabbed their own meals and sat down.

"Tang Wulin sure knows how to make a scene wherever he goes," Xu Xiaoyan said with a wry smile. "Good thing we moved fast. If he saw us, he'd definitely call us over—how embarrassing would that be?"

"Haha, this was totally expected," Jing Shaoyu chuckled.

"He and Xie Xie are working students now, right?" Gu Yue asked flatly.

"According to Teacher Shen, yes," Jing Shaoyu replied.

"Wait… don't working students have to pay for meals here?" Xu Xiaoyan blinked in realization. "Tang Wulin eats that much… does he even have the money for it?"

"No idea," Jing Shaoyu smirked. "Maybe Xie Xie is paying?"

"Haha, I can already picture Xie Xie wailing about it!" Xu Xiaoyan giggled.

And so, the three of them ate and chatted happily.

-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/QueenTL

Thanks!