As she tossed the milk tea cup into the trash, Tong Ya inadvertently caught a glimpse of the price tag.
28
This price wasn’t considered cheap for milk tea.
Not just the milk tea — the prices on this snack street were generally at a higher level.
The rent in this area wasn’t cheap, but Tong Ya didn’t care at all.
She didn’t lack money in the slightest.
But…
Slapping her thigh, Tong Ya had an epiphany.
‘Ah, I know why I didn’t find him.’
‘Su Yichen is poor. One look at his clothes and you can tell they’re from Pinxixi; not a single piece costs more than 100 yuan.’
‘He definitely wouldn’t come here to eat; it’s too expensive.’
‘He must go to the cafeteria. I’ll find him there next time.’
Tong Ya felt a bit dejected. She had waited for so long, only to realize she was looking in the wrong direction.
No wonder she hadn’t seen anyone. Tomorrow, military training would start again, leaving her with no chance for contact. If she wanted a chance encounter at the cafeteria…
Wait, military training?
It seemed like Su Yichen — only needed to observe?
‘Does that mean I can also… get some kind of certification?’
‘That way, he and I could slack off together?’
‘No, that would be too deliberate, and Lizi would notice.’
Tong Ya’s small face darkened slightly as she pulled out her phone and made a call.
“Eldest Miss, I am here.”
The person who answered was a woman whose voice was excessively respectful. Just hearing it would make one imagine a capable woman in professional attire bowing politely.
“Find someone to contact Jiang Zhengyang. Tell him that during the military training period, this miss needs to be able to rest freely.”
Completely different from her usual playful and gentle demeanor, Tong Ya’s tone now carried a hint of arrogance and haughtiness, as if she had become a different person.
“Also, I am currently just an ordinary college student. You understand what I mean, right?”
“Rest assured, I understand. I will have the orders sent down immediately.”
*Click.*
***
1 minute after Tong Ya hung up the phone, inside a luxurious office at Qingyue University…
An extraordinary middle-aged man sat at his desk, seemingly organizing a journal paper he needed to publish soon.
His train of thought was interrupted. The man looked up, his expression showing displeasure, but the moment he saw the caller ID, his expression changed drastically.
He hurriedly grabbed the phone, locked the office door, and then walked into a small side cubicle.
That should do it.
Tong Ya tucked her phone back into her small bag and nodded with satisfaction.
Although she used a few small tricks, she hadn’t overstepped her identity as an “ordinary college student.”
‘Oh, I forgot to mention Su Yichen.’
‘It doesn’t matter. If they don’t give him leave tomorrow, I’ll just make another secret call.’
Tong Ya secretly worked on her conquest plan.
Yes, a conquest.
She was going to win over Su Yichen.
If it were any other guy, she wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.
Tong Ya was quite confident in her appearance, even if she couldn’t compare to Luo Yueli.
But she had money.
A wealthy, beautiful girl armed with sugar-coated bullets, combined with her skills as a Tea Art Master — what kind of boy couldn’t she win over?
Between a beautiful girl and a wealthy, beautiful girl, did a boy even need to choose?
Of course, he would choose the wealthy, beautiful girl who possessed both looks and status.
But then she had to run into someone like Su Yichen.
‘He’s practically sent by some god or another just to be my nemesis.’
The thought made the girl’s teeth itch.
He had been controlled by Luo Yueli for so long that his heart couldn’t let go of anyone else.
Although she hadn’t known Su Yichen for long, judging from their interactions over the last two days…
‘He’s probably a boy with very strong self-esteem.’
‘People with strong self-esteem usually have strong defenses as well.’
‘So, my identity must not be exposed. Otherwise, it will create a massive distance between us.’
‘The best way to handle a boy like him is to bring myself down to his level, or even lower.’
But…
Tong Ya thought back to the charming, faint smile she saw on Su Yichen today.
She placed a question mark in her heart: ‘Do I really… understand him?’
‘It doesn’t matter. We have plenty of time. This is only the first day.’
‘There’s plenty of time to understand him, from the inside out.’
‘From under the bed to on top of it.’
Thinking of this, Tong Ya’s mood improved considerably.
She hopped in place before walking toward the girls’ dormitory.
“Student Tong Ya!”
As she neared the dormitory, a male voice called out from behind her.
Tong Ya turned around and found a tall boy with decent fashion sense running up to her.
‘Who is this?’
Tong Ya tilted her head back, feeling a bit annoyed.
‘He’s too tall. I have to look up at him. Negative points.’
In the entirety of Dormitory 502, Tong Ya was the shortest, standing at only 160 centimeters.
“I’m Jiang Jingjie,” Master Jiang introduced himself. “We’re in the same class.”
“Oh, it’s you.”
Tong Ya thought about it. There indeed was such a person when they were introducing themselves that day.
Shen Ran had even praised him for being good-looking and talented.
“What’s the matter?”
“Is… Luo Yueli in your dorm?”
Hmm?
Luo Yueli?
Tong Ya’s eyes narrowed as she caught a different scent.
‘Is he a suitor of Luo Yueli?’
“Yes.”
“Student Tong Ya, could I trouble you with something?”
Jiang Jingjie handed the milk tea he had just bought to Tong Ya.
“Help me check what Student Luo Yueli is doing. I want to ask her out for a late-night snack in a bit. I sent her a message on VX, but she suddenly stopped replying.”
Here it comes.
“I know this… is a bit abrupt. Student Tong Ya, please help me test the waters. This milk tea is my treat.”
“This…”
Tong Ya looked at the milk tea Jiang Jingjie offered and pondered for a moment.
Tossing her head back, she smiled. “Sure, I’ll help with this.”
Taking the milk tea, Tong Ya glanced at it while heading back to the dorm.
48 yuan a cup. The most expensive kind at the milk tea shop.
‘I didn’t expect Student Jiang Jingjie… to not only dress like a decent human being but also know how to chase girls.’
Although asking a girl out for a midnight snack on the second day was a bit rushed, with Jiang Jingjie’s external conditions, most girls would actually agree.
And he was only testing the waters here, not forcefully sending milk tea or gifts directly.
‘Keep it up, Master Jiang! Use your sugar-coated bullets to daze Luo Yueli!’
‘Otherwise, you’ll be doing a disservice to that green water ghost on your wrist!’
Tong Ya was all for Jiang Jingjie pursuing Luo Yueli.
‘As long as Luo Yueli remains single for a day, Su Yichen won’t give up for a day.’
Soon, she darted up to the fifth floor and pushed open the dormitory door.
Luo Yueli, Shen Ran, and Zhao Shubai were all there.
“Wow, Xiaoya, you only brought back one cup?” Shen Ran was currently discussing with Zhao Shubai whether to go downstairs for milk tea when she saw Tong Ya walk in with a cup.
“If you wanted to drink, you should have told me earlier. How was I supposed to know?” Tong Ya placed the milk tea on Shen Ran’s desk.
“I ran into Jiang Jingjie downstairs just now, and he gave it to me. Now, it’s yours.”
“I had my fill while I was out playing, so I can’t drink anymore.”
“Jiang Jingjie gave it to you?”
Shen Ran was stunned for a moment and said, “Does he like you?”