Chapter 9: Unexpected Connections

Ke Ni looked at the other person’s familiar big shorts, Crocs, and skinny legs like a string bean, and recalled that the person with a face full of smiles walking over had bought eleven cups of coffee at the café yesterday.

This guy was extremely outgoing, pulling out the chair opposite Ke Ni and sitting down without hesitation.

Ke Ni eyed the newcomer warily.

She had no idea what he, and those at the table behind him, actually wanted.

Were they looking for trouble?

Here to mock her up close?

But… it didn’t seem quite like that…

The boy cleared his throat, putting on an air of formal discussion, and smiled amicably: “Hello, Ke Ni, my name is Song Yi, I’m a third-year student at University of Science and Technology.”

Ke Ni pondered.

It wasn’t surprising that this Song Yi knew her name.

During the preliminary audition this afternoon, everyone wore name tags.

As long as you’d met someone at the competition venue, it was easy to know their names.

But what was the point of him suddenly coming over to say hello?

Was he trying to sell something?

Trying to hit on her?

What exactly did he want…

Ke Ni continued to stay silent.

Song Yi didn’t seem to mind Ke Ni’s blatant wariness: “I’m here to take part in the preliminary audition, I guess you are too, so I thought we could get to know each other.”

Cat?

Didn’t this person see her name at the competition venue?

Jing Sicun didn’t mention him either?

Ke Ni glanced over at Jing Sicun.

Jing Sicun popped a pill into his mouth, his elbow lazily propped on the dining table, swirling his glass as he drank the herbal tea provided by the hotel restaurant.

Another boy, face flushed red, leaned in close to Jing Sicun, looking a little uneasy, not sure what he was saying.

Jing Sicun hadn’t been looking this way at all.

Head slightly tilted back, the rim of his glass pressed to his lips, he quietly swallowed his medicine and herbal tea, and listened in silence.

But the moment Ke Ni looked over, he blinked, and when he lifted his eyes again, his gaze had already shifted toward her.

Ke Ni couldn’t see anything odd, nor did she know what they were up to.

She could only look away and throw out her own question: “Why do you want to get to know me?”

Song Yi scratched the back of his head: “Actually, I’ve seen you on TV.”

Ke Ni felt as if she’d been shot in the chest.

Was he picking a fight on purpose?!

That program was practically a black mark in Ke Ni’s history.

Besides herself, she’d never seen anyone else cry like that on TV—snot and tears everywhere.

It was just the worst, embarrassment broadcast nationwide.

To this day, Ke Ni hadn’t had the courage to watch that episode again.

But the boy before her was different from Feng Zi’an; he didn’t sound like he was here to make fun of her.

Song Yi was very enthusiastic: “My parents and I all really liked your post-match interview, you were so cute! My mom said you were genuine and kind, and every time the show reruns, we always watch your segment…”

For almost half a year, Ke Ni had woken up countless times from dreams about that competition.

After it ended, almost everyone blamed her for having the wrong mindset or giving up too early.

They said, if she had stuck it out to the end, maybe she could’ve caught up a little.

She knew she’d lost, and lost badly.

But this was the first time Ke Ni had heard someone use positive words to describe how she was back then.

Cute, genuine, kind?

She couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic.

Song Yi looked completely sincere as he said he and his family hadn’t even watched Shen Min’s post-match interview, only hers.

He even praised her art.

Song Yi claimed to be her art’s ambassador, recommending her portrait to many of his female classmates as their profile picture.

Song Yi said: “Did you used to study art? You’re so talented!”

Every sentence was beyond Ke Ni’s expectations.

Ke Ni felt like she was being praised for nothing, her face nearly turning red.

She looked away.

A waiter carrying several dishes walked past behind Song Yi.

From the direction of Song Yi’s original round table came a slow call: “Song Yi, don’t scare her off, the food’s here, are you coming to eat or not?”

“Of course I’m coming.” Song Yi said as he stood up.

Ke Ni let out a breath of relief in her heart.

Unexpectedly, Song Yi said: “Ke Ni, it’s boring to eat alone, why not join us?”

Ke Ni almost forgot to shake her head: “No…”

Just then, a waiter brought over the dish Ke Ni had ordered and set the Corn Chicken Wings Pot on her table.

Song Yi immediately picked up the dish: “Come on, Ke Ni, we’re not bad people, we’re all here for the preliminary audition. Let me introduce you to the others.”

Wait, are we really that familiar?

Ke Ni watched, wide-eyed, as her Corn Chicken Wings Pot was carried over to the neighboring round table…

She stared at the now empty table for two seconds, then had no choice but to walk over.

Even after sitting down by the round table, she was still in shock.

Ke Ni was shocked by Song Yi’s extroversion.

And also by the fact that she would actually agree to eat at the same table as Jing Sicun and the others.

Song Yi enthusiastically introduced: “This chubby guy is Dai Fanze from the University of Finance and Economics. We usually call him Old Dai.”

Ke Ni noticed that when Dai Fanze smiled, he looked like a sloth—even his smile was in slow motion.

“This is He Zhi, a junior from my school.”

He Zhi, face red, waved at Ke Ni in a friendly way: “Hi.”

Song Yi said proudly: “And this guy is Jing Sicun, don’t know if you’ve heard of his big name, ha ha ha, he’s the ace of our team.”

Ke Ni looked over.

Jing Sicun greeted her coolly: “Hello.”

Ke Ni: “…”

She might not be doing so well.

Song Yi tore open the plastic on the disposable chopsticks: “We’re all here for the show, we’ll definitely run into each other later, so let’s get to know each other in advance.”

So confident.

Is this the confidence of high-level contestants?

Are they so sure that all four of them will pass the preliminary audition?

Ke Ni knew they meant no harm, but she really didn’t want to deal with this group of clever people.

She just wanted to quietly eat her chicken wings pot.

She comforted herself:

Just treat it like sharing a table. It wasn’t like she’d never shared a table with strangers in the school cafeteria or in packed internet-famous restaurants.

Luckily, they didn’t force her to say anything, and soon started chatting noisily among themselves.

Compared to Lin Xirun, who was always thinking about questions, Zhu Ye, who always wanted to go to the board game bar, or the arrogant and rude Feng Zi’an, just listening to these guys talk, you’d never guess they were here for the preliminary audition.

Song Yi and the others chatted about games, joked about each other’s lousy plays, and teased each other.

Dai Fanze said Song Yi and He Zhi always had terrible positioning.

Song Yi shot back that Dai Fanze’s Xerath always missed his ultimate.

He Zhi quietly added: “I saw Jing-ge flash into a wall.”

Song Yi was confused: “Huh? Jing Sicun, you did that?”

Jing Sicun said: “Yeah.”

“Hahahahahahahaha, trash!”

Ke Ni could tell they were really close.

At least, their relationship was way better than Lin Xirun’s awkward team.

Song Yi talked the most and had the most requests—one minute asking for spare ribs, the next saying he wanted to drizzle some chili pork sauce onto his rice with a little spoon.

There was a glass turntable on the round table, but Ke Ni didn’t touch the dishes they ordered.

She bit the tip of her chopsticks, quietly waiting for the chicken wings pot or soup she’d ordered to rotate in front of her.

Ke Ni’s seat wasn’t great—directly across from her was Jing Sicun, who had a powerful presence.

Every time she looked at the food, she couldn’t help but see him.

Ke Ni didn’t know that Jing Sicun had looked at Song Yi and Dai Fanze, nor that the three of them then looked together at the innocent He Zhi.

Just as she tried to keep her eyes down and focus on her food, the boy who’d been blushing the whole time suddenly spoke up.

That should be He Zhi, right?

He Zhi said: “Ke Ni-jie, are your chicken wings good?”

Ke Ni said: “…They’re alright.”

He Zhi looked at the Corn Chicken Wings Pot, then at Ke Ni: “Can I have one of your chicken wings?”

There’s something wrong with this whole table, isn’t there?

Way too down-to-earth, way too casual…

Ke Ni couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she nodded: “Go ahead.”

After she said it, she realized something was off.

She looked up to find the other three guys staring at her.

They really are a handful!

Do they really want to eat chicken wings that badly?!

Ke Ni said quietly: “You guys… can try some too.”

He Zhi said happily: “Thanks, Ke Ni-jie! You should try our dishes too—the black pepper pork ribs are really good, and the grilled fish and mapo tofu aren’t bad either.”

Ke Ni nodded: “Thank you.”

He Zhi picked up his chopsticks, about to reach for a chicken wing, but Jing Sicun stopped him.

Jing Sicun tore open a new pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to He Zhi.

He Zhi was a little embarrassed, turning to Ke Ni: “Sorry, Ke Ni-jie, I’ll use the communal chopsticks.”

Ke Ni shook her head, then glanced at Jing Sicun.

Jing Sicun leaned back in his chair, also looking at Ke Ni.

Ke Ni met Jing Sicun’s gaze, bit off a piece of chicken wing, and used the chewing motion as an excuse to look away first.

The dinner went smoothly enough, and afterward, Ke Ni walked with them to the elevator.

While waiting for the elevator, He Zhi said earnestly to Song Yi: “Song-ge, congratulations.”

Dai Fanze said: “You’re congratulating him too soon.”

Ke Ni didn’t think any of this had anything to do with her, so she didn’t pay attention.

Song Yi said: “Don’t talk nonsense, or Ke Ni will think I’m some kind of creep.”

Only then did Ke Ni turn her head.

Song Yi voluntarily explained the three goals he wanted to accomplish by joining the show.

Ke Ni hadn’t planned on getting close to them at all—she’d meant to go her own way after this meal.

But hearing Song Yi say this, Ke Ni couldn’t help but ask: “Why?”

Ke Ni didn’t understand.

Just because he’d seen her embarrassing moment on TV, did he want to become friends?

Song Yi said that when his mother was pregnant with him, she was actually carrying twins—a boy and a girl.

He should’ve had a younger sister.

But his sister’s development lagged behind in the womb, and she lost all vital signs before she was born.

Maybe it was some kind of fate.

After Song Yi and his mom saw Ke Ni on TV, they both felt that, if his sister had survived, she’d definitely have been a lively, adorable girl like her.

Song Yi said: “Just like me.”

Dai Fanze, suddenly speaking faster, said: “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Jing Sicun turned his head and smiled.

Ke Ni had never met someone who could get so deep so quickly with a near-stranger—she hadn’t expected such a heavy reason from a casual question.

She didn’t know what to say.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

Song Yi, cheerful as ever, stepped inside: “Anyway, ever since then, I’ve wanted to get to know you. Since we’ll be seeing each other a lot during filming, maybe we’ll become good friends.”

Ke Ni sympathized with Song Yi’s family, but she was also put off by his certainty.

Not his certainty about becoming friends—

But, why was he so sure she could pass the preliminary audition and see them all the time?

Hadn’t he seen how badly she lost?

Ke Ni stepped into the elevator, her brows furrowed in the mirrored, metal-wrapped, enclosed space.

She unconsciously stared at the elevator wall in front of her.

After a long while, just as the elevator was about to reach the sixth floor, she said: “I don’t think I’ll definitely pass the preliminary audition and see you geniuses all the time.”

Ke Ni’s tone was a little cold.

Song Yi and Dai Fanze, arms around each other’s shoulders, leaned against the side of the elevator, not reacting for a moment.

He Zhi stared wide-eyed in surprise.

The elevator ran quietly, the only sounds in the limited space were Jing Sicun’s two muffled coughs from deep in his chest, and after the coughing, a breath drawn in to suppress it.

Low and dull.

Ke Ni and Jing Sicun’s gazes met in the polished elevator wall.

He always seemed to be looking at her.

The metal surface was bright, shining like a mirror.

Jing Sicun looked at Ke Ni’s reflection in the mirror: “You can pass.”