Awakening Elementary School System in University
Chapter 34 - 32: Truly Fragrant

Chapter 34: Chapter 32: Truly Fragrant

Chen Lin subconsciously lifted his head and looked toward the door.

It was Yunqing, just as he’d expected.

Today, she wore a pale yellow sundress with a light, white cardigan over it for sun protection. The hem of her dress barely reached her knees, revealing a pair of well-proportioned, fair calves.

Sunlight streamed in from the doorway behind her, making her look both cool and radiant.

She stood charmingly in the doorway, a large bag in each hand. She wore her signature smile, but her eyes darted back and forth between him and Shen Yan with keen interest.

Shen Yan was still a bit dazed.

But a strong sense of foreboding rose in Chen Lin’s heart.

"Junior, what are you spacing out for?" Seeing him motionless, Yunqing raised her voice slightly, her tone laced with feigned complaint. "How can you bear to watch a weak girl like me carry so much food? Hurry up and give me a hand."

’This woman is unbelievable,’ Chen Lin complained wildly in his mind, but his body honestly stood up anyway.

He walked quickly to the door and took the two heavy bags from Yunqing’s hands.

They were quite heavy. A rich, spicy aroma of food wafted out from the bags, which weren’t completely sealed.

He glanced down. Whoa, they were filled with the kind of takeout containers only high-end restaurants used—two bags stuffed to the brim.

’What is she trying to do, coming here?’

Yunqing, however, ignored Chen Lin’s questioning gaze. She walked right past him and approached Shen Yan with a beaming smile.

"I asked some classmates I know in the math department, and they all said that if junior Shen Yan isn’t in class, she’s definitely in this study room."

She gracefully sat down in the empty seat across from Shen Yan, her tone as familiar as if they had known each other for ages.

Shen Yan was clearly not used to this social pace. She answered reservedly, "Senior Yunqing, I... don’t think we’ve met before, have we?"

"That’s okay, junior," Yunqing said, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "See? You know who I am now. And as it happens, I’ve wanted to get to know you for a while."

Chen Lin, listening from behind, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

’Of course she knows you,’ he thought. ’Any time there’s a big event at school, your band is up there performing. Who wouldn’t recognize the gorgeous lead singer with the amazing voice?’

He then heard Yunqing say enthusiastically, "Yanyan, I heard you’re from Sichuan Province, right? It just so happens that I love spicy food too. I found a highly-rated Sichuan restaurant near campus and got a few dishes to go. Want to try them with me?"

Chen Lin listened from the side, utterly floored.

’She’s already calling her Yanyan?’

’They’ve only officially known each other for less than five minutes.’

Shen Yan didn’t seem to mind the overly familiar address. She wasn’t used to refusing people’s kindness, especially from a campus celebrity like Yunqing. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, then. Chen, will you join us?"

’At least she still remembers me.’ Chen Lin was touched for a second.

But his first instinct was to bolt.

Having these two women together was a recipe for disaster, though he didn’t know why.

He quickly placed the two large bags of food on a nearby empty table and turned to flee. "You two beauties can go ahead and eat. I just remembered I have something urgent to do, so I’ll be going now!"

However, he had barely turned halfway when Yunqing’s faint voice drifted from behind him.

"Junior Chen Lin is so busy, I guess you won’t have time tonight either?" She deliberately dragged out her words and sighed. "Alas, a certain someone just promised to help me yesterday. I wonder when he’ll make good on that promise..."

Chen Lin froze instantly.

He slowly turned back around, looked at Yunqing’s smug "I dare you to leave" expression, and gritted his teeth.

"Fine, fine! I’ll stay! I’ll wait until you’re done eating, alright?" He practically squeezed the words out through clenched teeth. "After you eat, I’ll go help you tonight. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. Satisfied now?"

"That’s more like it." Hearing his words, Yunqing’s bright eyes happily narrowed into two crescent moons, her smile full of triumph.

Seeing this, Shen Yan said to Yunqing again, "Senior, why don’t we have Chen eat with us?"

Chen Lin pointed to his stomach and said with a sincere expression, "I’m really not hungry. I just ate at the cafeteria at one this afternoon. Besides, Senior Yunqing said she was treating you, not me."

"Fine," Yunqing said without looking up, deftly opening the takeout containers and arranging the colorful, fragrant, and delicious-looking dishes on the table. "Then you can just watch from the side. Just try not to drool."

...

「A quarter of an hour later.」

"So good!"

Chen Lin contentedly tossed a pig’s trotter, gnawed clean to the bone, into a plastic bag and let out a heartfelt sigh of praise.

"Hmph," Yunqing shot him a sideways glance, a trace of disdain on her lips. "Weren’t you ’not hungry’? How come you’re eating more than both of us combined?"

Chen Lin, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, completely ignored her jibe. Instead, like a food critic, he began commenting on the dishes. "Spicy Beauty Trotters, Gluttonous Bullfrog, Spicy Rabbit Heads... Tsk tsk, Senior, you really broke the bank today, huh?"

Yunqing couldn’t be bothered with him and continued chatting with Shen Yan, with whom she had already grown familiar. She even moved to sit next to Shen Yan, striking a pose like they were best friends.

"Yanyan, so you’re really paying him to teach you math?" she said while placing a piece of bullfrog on Shen Yan’s plate. "Aren’t you famous for being a top student at our school? What can a guy from the Chinese Language and Literature department possibly teach you?"

Shen Yan’s mouth was stuffed with half a spicy rabbit head, her cheeks puffed out. A glistening sheen of oil dotted the corner of her lips. Paired with her serious, thoughtful expression, it created a cute, contrasting charm.

Before Shen Yan could answer, Chen Lin jumped in, his tone full of superiority. "Who says a liberal arts student can’t study math? I’m naturally gifted and self-taught. What’s wrong with that? Besides, it’s pointless trying to explain it to an artsy type like you!"

"Oh?" His response made Yunqing laugh. She wasn’t angry, but slowly retorted, "Alright, you’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you? But at least a certain someone didn’t lie to me. You really weren’t on a date this afternoon."

"COUGH!"

"COUGH COUGH!"

Chen Lin and Shen Yan both choked at the same time. They scrambled to grab the "Succulent Green Grape" drinks on the table and took several large gulps.

Yunqing’s gaze swept lightly over the two identical drinks in their hands. Deep in her eyes, a complex and unreadable emotion flickered for an instant.

Then she smiled again and continued, "But it seems our junior Chen Lin is truly multi-talented. We won’t even mention his physical fitness. His singing technique is so good that even I, the lead singer of the school band, feel inadequate. And now he can even teach our top student math. Truly amazing."

Shen Yan finally recovered, an unnatural blush rising on her fair cheeks.

After hearing Yunqing’s words, she turned to Chen Lin and asked curiously, "Chen, you can sing too?"

"Hahaha, a little, a little. Purely self-taught, karaoke-level stuff. Nothing worth mentioning, nothing at all."

Chen Lin laughed it off, trying to brush past the topic, while diligently using the serving chopsticks to pick up a spicy rabbit head.

He placed the rabbit head in the bowl in front of Yunqing and recommended enthusiastically, "Senior, don’t just chat! Quick, try this rabbit head. The flavor is incredible—numbing, spicy, and savory. Super authentic!"

Yunqing glanced at him, a smile playing on her lips.

She didn’t immediately touch the rabbit head. Instead, she said to Shen Yan, "Yanyan, you see? This is a classic example of how a guy acts when he’s feeling guilty. The moment he’s asked a question he doesn’t want to answer, he tries every trick in the book to change the subject."

After speaking, she leisurely picked up her chopsticks, took the rabbit head Chen Lin had placed in her bowl, and began to eat it in small bites.

However, after just two bites, her triumphant expression froze. Her delicate eyebrows shot up, her pretty face flushed crimson in an instant, and she began to cough uncontrollably and violently.

"COUGH COUGH COUGH! So, so spicy!"

"Senior, are you okay?" Seeing her state, Shen Yan quickly offered her own drink. "Quick, drink something to cool down!"

As if she didn’t see the cup Shen Yan was offering at all, Yunqing, amidst the frantic commotion, reached out with extreme naturalness and snatched the "Succulent Green Grape" drink by Chen Lin’s hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, she put her lips to the straw Chen Lin had just been using and took a huge gulp.

"GLUG GLUG GLUG..."

Shen Yan: ?

Chen Lin: ?