“Su Yichen…”
“I remember now. Is he the one from our class… the one who’s short, wears glasses, and looks very shy?” Tong Ya stood up and gestured with her hand.
“He’s not that short. He’s a little over 1.7 meters.”
Luo Yueli arched an eyebrow and said, “He’s reached the average height for men at the very least, so how can you call him short?”
“Oh? Are you angry, Lizi?”
Tong Ya froze for a moment, then a sly look crossed her face as she gave a charming smile. “You seem to be defending him quite a bit. Is he not as annoying as you said?”
“Not at all. Isn’t it normal to speak up for a childhood friend?”
“Quick, get to the point, or you’re paying for this malatang.” Her cheeks flushing, Luo Yueli found herself unable to find a retort for Tong Ya, so she could only use the meal as a threat.
“Heehee…”
Tong Ya smiled and took a bite of a boiled meatball. “Even the smartest housewife can’t cook without rice. You gave me too little information, so this is all I can say.”
Luo Yueli bit her lip, took out her phone, and opened her chat history with Su Yichen. “Look, all my chat records with him are right here.”
“We usually don’t speak in person; we only use VX to stay in touch.”
“Fine, let me take a look then.” Tong Ya wiped her hands clean, but the moment she took the phone, a suspicious look appeared on her face. “Lizi, since I’m seeing your secrets…”
“You wouldn’t kill me to silence me, would you?”
“Lizi, for the sake of us being roommates and sisters for the next four years, I hope you leave my corpse intact.”
“Get out of here. There isn’t a single serious word out of your mouth.” Luo Yueli couldn’t help herself and laughed as she lightly tapped Tong Ya on the head.
Then she lowered her head to eat her malatang. Since they had known each other for so many years, the message history was quite long. It would take Tong Ya some time to finish reading.
‘It really is him.’
No wonder Luo Yueli was acting that way.
Tong Ya leaned back in her chair, checking the chat logs on Luo Yueli’s phone while eating a piece of beef she had just fished out.
After finishing the chat history between Su Yichen and Luo Yueli, a touch of complexity appeared in the young girl’s clear eyes.
She began to envy Luo Yueli.
It wasn’t because Luo Yueli had a childhood friend, but because… she had a loyal and obedient licking dog.
Licking dogs were easy to find, but finding a licking dog who was loyal, obedient, and would absolutely never commit betrayal was not easy.
What Luo Yueli didn’t want was exactly what Tong Ya couldn’t find.
What a great irony.
Tong Ya felt a surge of mixed emotions. Between the lines of the chat logs, she could feel just how obedient Su Yichen was.
For three whole years, Su Yichen had never exposed his relationship with Luo Yueli. Even though they were in the same class and had a deep connection, they acted like total strangers.
All of this was because Su Yichen had promised Luo Yueli that he wouldn’t cause her any trouble in that regard.
Loyal, obedient, and would never commit betrayal—much less bite the hand that fed him.
“I’m done reading, Lizi.”
Returning the phone to Luo Yueli, Tong Ya’s eyes curved into a beaming smile. “He really listens to you.”
“The friendship between you two is quite good. You’ve known each other for a very long time, right?”
“Mhm, I’ve known him since primary school. We’ve always been neighbors.”
“When we transitioned from middle school to high school, we got into the same high school in the provincial capital and were placed in the same class again.”
“Oh…”
Tong Ya felt a bit of jealousy. She had been scouting since middle school, but even now in college, she hadn’t found a loyal licking dog.
And given her identity, she needed such a useful licking dog to handle certain troubles.
But these things… naturally could not be told to Luo Yueli.
‘Su Yichen…’
Tong Ya’s interest was piqued once again.
‘It’s a pity he’s someone else’s dog. If I were to raise him now… I probably couldn’t make him mine, right?’
But if he and Luo Yueli really had a clean break, it might be worth a try. She could treat him like another spare tire.
She would only need to give him a little bit of care, and even if she failed, there would be no loss.
Thinking of this, Tong Ya gave a slight grin. “Lizi, from the chat logs… Su Yichen seems much more mature now than he was three years ago.”
“Find a time to talk to him. Perhaps…”
“Things will go as you wish.”
“Is that so…?”
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
Receiving encouragement, Luo Yueli nodded. She decided she would find Su Yichen in the next day or two to make things clear.
“Oh, right. While I was looking at your phone just now…”
“Someone asked you to play a game.”
“Play a game?” The friends Luo Yueli often played games with flashed through her mind. She asked, “Who was it?”
“I think the name was…” Tong Ya thought for a moment before saying, “Mu Qianqian?”
***
September 6, cloudy.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Yichen climbed out of bed, washed up, and left the dormitory. He didn’t return to school until around 3:00 PM.
Possessing the red fate pattern [seven-aperture exquisite heart], Su Yichen had managed to obtain a medical certificate for an irregular heartbeat without much effort.
Once he reached the College of liberal arts, Su Yichen hurried toward the Counselor’s office.
As he reached the door, he heard the sound of chatter coming from inside. It sounded like students were discussing something with the Counselor.
Recognizing the voices of acquaintances inside, Su Yichen immediately lowered his head and tidied his clothes. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
The Counselor for Class 1 was a relatively young woman. Su Yichen judged her age to be around 26 with just a glance.
As for the acquaintances… it was Luo Yueli.
Su Yichen glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed Tong Ya standing beside her.
Looking at the items on the desk in front of them, Su Yichen already had an idea of why they were in the Counselor’s office.
Military training would start tomorrow, and after it concluded, the entire College of liberal arts would hold a large freshman welcome gala.
The Counselor was likely recruiting these two beautiful girls. Luo Yueli was quite talented; she could play the piano and sing well.
Su Yichen didn’t greet Luo Yueli.
Pretending to have just noticed others were present, he looked hesitant. “Teacher, should I come back later?”
“If you have something to say, say it now. I’ll be very busy in a moment. Which class are you from? What is it?”
“Alright…”
Su Yichen lowered his head and bit his lip. He placed the certificate issued by the hospital on the Counselor’s desk.
His voice carried a hint of grievance and extreme reluctance. “Ms. Zhou, I’m Su Yichen from Class 1. I’m afraid I won’t be able to participate in military training. My health isn’t very good…”
“This is the certificate from the hospital.”
Being unable to participate in military training could be a big or small matter. It required not only a hospital certificate but also the approval of the school leadership.
Zhou Min looked away from Luo Yueli and Tong Ya, picking up Su Yichen’s medical certificate to examine it. “Arrhythmia?”
She suddenly understood why Su Yichen had asked if he should come back later.
This was a student with a very strong personality and a lot of pride. Moreover… no one wanted their privacy exposed to others, especially in front of the two most beautiful girls in their class.
Probably no girl would want to find a “weak and sickly” boy as a boyfriend.
Thus… by saying this, Su Yichen had essentially disqualified himself in front of Luo Yueli and Tong Ya. They would never consider him as a potential partner now.