Looking back

The first dining hall wasn't very big—only about one-third the size of the third dining hall. Besides being cheap, it had no other advantages, and the food was terrible.

Most of the people eating here were guys, with only a few scattered girls sitting in corners, chatting while they ate.

Despite the food, the hall was busy, and nearly every table was occupied.

Lo Ye bought two meat buns, a cup of soy milk, an egg, and a corn cake, and found a random seat to sit. There was another guy sitting at the same table, but it wasn't a problem. The table could seat six people, and they sat at opposite corners, so there was plenty of space between them.

Suddenly, more than half the guys in the dining hall looked toward the entrance.

A tall, stunning woman entered, dressed in black. Her beauty was so captivating that the otherwise awful food seemed to turn into something exquisite.

One guy even ate two buns in one go.

Wasn't that Jiang University's campus goddess, Su Baizhou? What was she doing in the first dining hall?

Lo Ye hadn't noticed the commotion around him yet. He took a sip of his soy milk and thought it tasted too salty.

Why did they serve salty soy milk in the South? He wanted sweet soy milk, not this!

Su Baizhou casually bought some breakfast, then looked around. Every table was occupied, though there were a few vacant seats. But that meant she would have to sit with some guys.

Soon, she spotted Lo Ye's seat. Striding over, she walked directly toward him.

As she passed by, it felt like the air itself became sweeter.

She wasn't wearing any makeup, but even so, her cold, otherworldly beauty captivated everyone around her.

Lo Ye froze for a moment, realizing someone had sat down in front of him. He looked up in confusion and was shocked to see it was Su Baizhou.

What an unexpected scene of happiness!

Lo Ye's expression had been stuck between displeasure and confusion from the salty soy milk, but when he saw Su Baizhou, his face alternated between surprise and distaste. Finally, surprise won out.

Everyone in the dining hall was stunned.

What the heck?! Why him?!

They were all men, all handsome, and had taken up a table. There were empty seats next to them, so why did this guy get so lucky?

A guy nervously sat next to Su Baizhou.

She frowned slightly and didn't say a word.

Lo Ye didn't know what to say either. The atmosphere became awkward. Su Baizhou's "ice queen" aura was radiating, making the guy beside her feel increasingly uncomfortable. Even Lo Ye lowered his head, afraid to look at her.

Soon, the guy finished his meal and left. He had been hoping to sit next to the campus goddess, but he quickly realized that not just anyone could sit beside this icy beauty.

Lo Ye now understood why Su Baizhou had earned the "Ice Queen" nickname.

After the guy left, Lo Ye sighed with relief. That heavy pressure was gone.

Too bad, he had already finished his meal.

He wiped his mouth and cautiously said, "Senior… I'll head out first."

"No." Su Baizhou replied coldly. "Wait until I finish."

If Lo Ye left now, she would have to eat alone in this terrible dining hall. How could she eat this terrible food?

Lo Ye awkwardly smiled and stayed put, waiting for her to finish.

A few minutes later, Su Baizhou wiped her mouth, glanced at Lo Ye, said nothing, and walked away.

This was the true personality of the campus goddess.

Lo Ye stared at her retreating figure, unable to look away. He seemed to have done this many times before. During his three years of unrequited love in high school, he would do the same—watch the girl he liked leave, follow her with his eyes, but never dare to approach. He could only quietly observe.

Even with Su Baizhou, he was the same. The first time they met, he watched her leave. At the first dorm gathering, he saw her leaving. Even the first time he sent her to the teachers' parking lot after a date, he watched her leave.

He could only silently watch her, guard her from a distance, unable to do anything. He didn't know what he was missing but felt something wasn't right. There was an unspoken feeling in his heart.

Then, just as Su Baizhou was about to step out of the dining hall, she suddenly stopped.

She turned slightly and looked in Lo Ye's direction.

Seeing his blank expression, her lips curved into a subtle smile, before she left.

That smile made every guy in the dining hall feel like their heart was blooming with joy.

"The Ice Queen smiled at me!!"

"That was clearly directed at me!"

"Shut up, man, take a look at yourself in the mirror."

"What did you say? I'm the Jiang City version of Peng Yuyan!"

"I'm the Jiang City version of Wu Yanzu!"

"Quiet down, I'm the most passionate man in Jiang City," one guy chimed in.

The surrounding guys began to argue, but only Lo Ye could feel that Su Baizhou's smile was meant for him.

He finally understood what he had been missing all this time.

It was the "return" of the gaze.

It was when he had been chasing her back in high school, looking at her back, that she could turn around and see that someone had always been there, behind her.

It was no longer a one-way pursuit but a mutual connection.

"What are you doing?"

A sudden voice broke Lo Ye's thoughts. He looked up and saw Li Haoyang with a smiling face, followed by a girl, Liu Bixin.

They had finished their morning jog and came to the first dining hall to eat.

Looks like Coach Li has been completely charmed by her sincerity, if she's willing to eat here.

However, when Lo Ye thought of Liu Bixin's roommate, Tang Enqi, he felt a little awkward.

"Nothing, just realized it's almost class time. I'll go get my books, want me to grab yours too?" Lo Ye asked.

"Sure, and remember to wake up Da Chui," Li Haoyang laughed.

Then, he and Liu Bixin went to get their food.

It seemed like the shy, honest Li Haoyang was quickly going to get together with the long-legged beauty, Liu Bixin. They just needed the right moment.

Thinking about it, it's only been about half a month since military training, and now it's the second week of classes. Progress was fast!

Lo Ye returned to the dorm, and by then, Shen Qiao had already gone ahead to claim seats in the classroom. Only Wang Dachui was still asleep.

Today was Monday, the day with the most classes—Hellish Monday.

Lo Ye took out his phone, turned the volume up to maximum, and played a song, "Ji Ni Tai Mei," placing it next to Wang Dachui's pillow.

The moment the music started, Wang Dachui sprang up from his bed, grabbed a basketball from under his bed, and instinctively did a celebratory dance.

Then, he realized where he was and smiled widely, excitedly saying, "Yewazi, I dreamt that I was performing with my pigeon!"

"Got it. Go play," Lo Ye said, shutting off the music.

He grabbed his and Li Haoyang's books and added, "There's fifteen minutes until class starts. If you don't wash up now, prepare to fail."

Hearing this, Wang Dachui's face changed. He quickly replied, "Damn it, don't worry! I'll get to class in a flash!"

"Impressive."