The Rooftop
At this moment, Xuan Ying was anxiously waiting on the rooftop.
She realized that Su Cheng hadn't shown up, which made her quite anxious.
"Hmm, what's this?"
Suddenly, Xuan Ying unexpectedly spotted a small black object in the corner of the rooftop. After observing it for a while and confirming it wasn't moving, she curiously approached to take a closer look.
"A penguin statue?"
This only deepened Xuan Ying's confusion. She couldn't understand why there would be such a thing on the rooftop.
Carefully, she approached the front of the penguin statue, crouched down, and examined it closely.
The statue was only a dozen centimeters tall, but the penguin's mouth was holding a sword that was a few centimeters long. The sword, also made of stone, was exquisitely carved, lifelike, and clearly the work of a master, making it quite valuable.
"So, why is there a stone figurine like this on the rooftop?"
Xuan Ying was utterly baffled, completely at a loss.
She reached out her hand to pick up the statue.
Although small, the statue was surprisingly heavy, and she couldn't lift it.
After exerting herself for a while, she finally realized that the figurine was stuck to something and couldn't be moved.
"Forget it, never mind."
Xuan Ying's cute and delicate face turned red, and she quickly stood up straight, resuming her wait for Su Cheng.
What she didn't know was that while she was crouching down, Zhao Yan had stealthily slipped into the corner of the rooftop.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Hearing the footsteps, Xuan Ying immediately became nervous. She quickly straightened up, held her breath, and stared at the doorway.
Zhao Yan also shrank further into the corner, afraid of being discovered.
Soon, Su Cheng walked in from outside, holding a black double-layered thermos. He entered with an apologetic tone, "Sorry, I'm late."
Seeing the sweat on Su Cheng's forehead, Xuan Ying was slightly stunned. Then she shook her head, her face turning red as she stammered, "It's okay, I just got here too."
"This is the chicken soup I prepared for you."
Su Cheng handed the thermos to Xuan Ying.
"F-for... for me?"
Looking at the thermos Su Cheng handed her, Xuan Ying couldn't believe it. Her face gradually turned red, spreading to her ears and even her neck.
Yes, last time you personally prepared a bento for me, so I made this chicken soup for you. I hope you don't mind.
Su Cheng explained.
It was the truth; he had indeed made it himself.
Well, it was the soup from the chicken thigh and mushroom noodles he had made with Liu Qingyue last time.
After finishing the noodles, he had stored the leftover soup in his system space, reluctant to drink it, and hadn't expected it to come in handy today.
"T-thank you."
Xuan Ying stammered after accepting the thermos, then lowered her head, too shy to look at Su Cheng, her head nearly steaming.
"It's so hot..."
Xuan Ying instinctively took the thermos, only to find that the soup inside was extremely hot. She was momentarily stunned.
Looking at the sweat on Su Cheng's forehead, she finally understood why he had been late. He must have rushed to the cafeteria to heat it up in the microwave for her!
Thinking of this, she was so touched that she could hardly speak. She lightly bit her lip, her eyes glistening with tears.
"If you don't mind, please sit down and enjoy it."
Su Cheng wiped away the traces of water from washing his face and pointed to the nearby chair.
"Okay."
Xuan Ying's voice trembled slightly.
The two sat down on the chairs beside them. Xuan Ying held the thermos with both hands, took a deep breath, and then twisted open the lid. Immediately, a fragrant aroma filled the air, making their mouths water.
"Please, don't be polite."
Seeing her hesitation, Su Cheng reminded her.
Xuan Ying nodded lightly, then poured some soup into the lid and carefully placed the thermos aside. With both hands, she held the lid and blew on it gently, taking small sips.
Throughout this, Su Cheng observed Xuan Ying closely.
Xuan Ying was the cute type, but today he noticed something a bit odd.
She had light makeup on, but it couldn't hide her baby fat.
Especially her usual white thigh-high socks had been replaced with black tights, which were semi-transparent.
It gave her a slightly sexy vibe, but something about it felt off.
Her hairstyle remained the same—long black hair with bangs—making her look a bit adorable.
"It's... really delicious."
Xuan Ying finished the entire bowl of soup, feeling a warm sensation in her throat.
The feeling was like drinking honey, incredibly sweet.
After all, this was soup personally made for her...
She looked up at Su Cheng, her eyes filled with happiness and tears, and smiled, saying, "You're amazing. I didn't expect your cooking to be so good."
Her voice carried a slight quiver, which made Su Cheng pause.
Why was she crying while drinking the soup?
He had only made it to repay the favor from the bento she had given him last time!
Last time, he had traded a cheap bread for a high-quality bento, and he had felt a bit guilty about it.
Today, having the opportunity, he decided to give her the chicken soup he had been reluctant to drink.
"If you like it, then finish it. Drinking chicken soup is a wonderful thing!"
Su Cheng said with a smile.
After all, he still needed to wash the thermos.
Xuan Ying shook her head: "N-no, no need."
"Didn't you say you liked it? Why not finish it?"
Su Cheng asked, looking puzzled.
Xuan Ying's cheeks flushed with shyness, and she looked up to explain, "Because it's so delicious, I want to share it with Zhao Yan."
"Oh, I see."
Su Cheng nodded in realization.
After saying this, Xuan Ying shyly lowered her head again and continued, "Tomorrow, I'll give the thermos to the cleaning staff to wash, and then return it to you."
"Alright, I'll head back to class then."
Su Cheng stood up, smiled, and turned to leave.
"Okay!"
Watching Su Cheng's back disappear, Xuan Ying's heart filled with sweetness. Her face blushed, and her heart raced as if it would jump out of her chest.
She carefully closed the thermos lid and held it in her hands, her gaze fixed on the thermos. Her smile grew brighter and brighter.
Finally, she rubbed the thermos against her cheek, her face filled with a blissful expression.
She decided that from now on, every night, she would ask the chef to make chicken soup. She would drink a little and mix it with water, giving her an endless supply of soup!
"What a clever Xuan Ying!"
She couldn't help but praise herself.
Of course, she would also buy a matching thermos to give to Su Cheng.
A few minutes later
"So you're here. I've been looking for you everywhere."
Zhao Yan pretended to come up from the staircase, then greeted Xuan Ying.
Earlier, she had been eavesdropping nearby. She was surprised that Xuan Ying was willing to share with her.
She knew about Xuan Ying's collecting habits.
In her eyes, this soup made by Su Cheng was undoubtedly priceless.
So, to be honest, she was quite surprised. She hadn't expected her good friend to think of her in such a situation.
The soup made by Su Cheng, she naturally didn't want to miss.
However, this also made her decide that after drinking the soup, she wouldn't compete with Xuan Ying anymore. She realized that this friendship might be more important than anything else.
Still, she pretended to be reserved and asked, "Oh, what do you have in your hand?"
"This?"
Hearing this, Xuan Ying quickly hid the thermos behind her back and smiled at Zhao Yan, "It's nothing, just some soup a friend made for me. Let's go back."
Saying this, Xuan Ying held the thermos and prepared to leave.
Zhao Yan's expression froze. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Xuan Ying skip down the stairs, her back disappearing. She slowly muttered, "Good sister," then her entire face turned black.