Chapter 62: I Heard You're Still Single?

Fifteen minutes later, the bell finally rang for the end of class.

The math teacher collected the papers, then waved his hand grandly, sending the batch of little troublemakers off to lunch.

“Lu Qingyue! Time to eat!”

Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue sprang to their feet, dragging Lu Qingyue with them as they dashed toward the cafeteria.

Eaters at heart, eaters in soul.

Lu Qingyue was always the most enthusiastic when it came to mealtime.

The three barreled into the cafeteria, managing to snag seats before the main crowd arrived.

Suddenly, the cafeteria was filled with noise.

Because the affiliated school had expanded its enrollment so much in recent years, the cafeteria was a bit cramped. They had to push all the tables in each row together, forming one long table.

Lu Qingyue and her friends claimed the three seats at the very end, by the window—no crowding, truly a prime spot.

She’d spent the whole morning doing exercises and was starving, nearly dizzy. Just as she was about to sink her teeth into a big drumstick, a familiar voice sounded beside her.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Lu Qingyue paused, surprised, lifting her head—she hadn’t expected even lunch would bring her face-to-face with Xiao Qingrong.

Another boy stood by his side; Lu Qingyue recognized him but didn’t know his name.

Anyway, they were all part of his group—not good news.

Lu Qingyue had lately wanted nothing to do with the crowd from Class 2, especially after nearly getting into a fight with You Ying at the school gate. So she answered curtly,

“I do mind. Could you sit somewhere else?”

She expected him to retreat after being snapped at, but his skin proved thicker than she thought. He snorted, set his tray down in the seat beside her, and shamelessly said,

“Even if you mind, there’s nothing you can do. The cafeteria isn’t yours. Deal with it.”

Lu Qingyue: “.....”

She glanced around. It was peak lunch hour—the cafeteria was indeed nearly out of open seats.

Fine.

She’d endure.

It was just one meal after all.

If she ate quickly, it’d be over in ten minutes.

Lu Qingyue swallowed her pride and compromised, bowing her head to eat.

Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue, picking up on her restraint, also hurriedly ate, planning to finish quickly and leave.

But there are always people who don’t know when to stop.

Lu Qingyue hoped to avoid trouble, but Xiao Qingrong seemed inexplicably interested in her.

Sitting beside her wasn’t enough—he had to start a conversation.

“I heard you’re still single?”

Lu Qingyue remained silent, thinking, I’ll endure you one more time.

But this will absolutely be the last.

After all, she was a beauty, not a ninja turtle.

Don’t push me to strike back with a vengeance!

Xiao Qingrong, seeing her silence, assumed he’d hit a sore spot. He chuckled, exchanged a glance with the boy across from him, and said with nonchalance,

“Seriously, why stay so pure and unattached at your age? If you don’t start dating soon, you’ll become an old maid and nobody will want you.”

With a loud smack, Lu Qingyue slapped her chopsticks down.

“That’s enough! You haven’t stopped yapping since you sat down—what gives you the right to judge? The world is dull enough without a toad critiquing humans.”

Xiao Qingrong took her mockery in stride, neither angry nor offended. He leaned back lazily, arms folded, and replied airily,

“Why so worked up? I heard from You Ying that you secretly fancy me. But now, even if you do, it’s useless—I have a girlfriend.”

His tone carried both regret and pride.

His eyes seemed to say, “Don’t pine for me; I’m the man you can’t have.”

Lu Qingyue resisted the urge to retch, offering instead a heartfelt blessing, “You two should absolutely stay locked together!”

Please don’t break up and inflict yourself on anyone else!

Xiao Qingrong, unaware of the hidden meaning in her words, snorted again.

“Don’t worry. You’ve missed your chance.”

Lu Qingyue thought, Thank heavens!

Lunch was anything but pleasant. Sharing a table with him was nauseating; Lu Qingyue left before finishing her drumstick.

Back in the classroom, she immediately pulled out her test paper, hoping to calm herself with some exercises.

She hadn’t even finished the one she’d started, when the classroom door was kicked open with a bang.

You Ying stormed in, phone in hand, launching straight into a tirade,

“Lu Qingyue, did you have lunch with my boyfriend?”

She worried Lu Qingyue would deny it, so she preemptively thrust her phone out, showing the photo.

Lu Qingyue hadn’t expected that during a single meal, someone would post a photo of her and Xiao Qingrong eating together on the school forum.

How utterly bored and depraved!

Lu Qingyue was stunned, blinking, momentarily at a loss for words.

Although Xiao Qingrong had insisted on joining her for lunch, the fact was, they had shared a table.

Rounding up the numbers... it was hard to argue with “eating together.”

You Ying, seeing her silence, thought she’d caught Lu Qingyue out. She raised her voice, preparing to lunge at her,

“You little white lotus! It’s bad enough you flirted with the instructor, now you’re after someone else’s boyfriend...”

Her voice was sharp and loud. Several classmates were back from lunch, resting; instantly, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the spectacle.

Lu Qingyue dreaded being the center of gossip.

Her scalp tingled as she forced herself to explain patiently,

“I have absolutely no interest in your boyfriend. Do you think he’s as handsome as Instructor Cheng?”

Cheng Xingye was so handsome—how could she not like him?

But Xiao Qingrong, despite his muscular build, was nowhere near her taste.

After seeing someone as stunning as Cheng Xingye, could she be attracted to anyone else?

Clearly not!

But You Ying didn’t believe her.

She’d swooned over the chief instructor during military training too, but what good is looks in a man?

Muscle meant security.

Instructor Cheng was tall, sure—but he’d never shown off his abs.

Guys with a couple of muscles tended to plaster it all over their faces, but Instructor Cheng never bragged.

What did that mean? It meant he didn’t have any!

So You Ying snorted coldly, dismissively,

“Good looks won’t feed you.”

Lu Qingyue immediately retorted, “But bad looks really do ruin your appetite.”

Today, eating lunch beside Xiao Qingrong, his nauseating comments and narcissism had made her so sick she hadn’t even finished her drumstick.

So, in summary, finding a handsome boyfriend was quite necessary.

You Ying saw Lu Qingyue really seemed uninterested in Xiao Qingrong, her anger fading. Still, she was half-convinced, and added,

“Then dare you swear? Promise you’ll never end up with Xiao Qingrong!”

Why wouldn’t she dare?!

Lu Qingyue solemnly nodded, her face earnest as she assured,

“Don’t worry, he says I’ve got no chance. Cherish him, lock yourselves together for the long haul. Don’t worry about me being alone.”

You Ying: “???”

How could her rival be so utterly unmotivated?!

But with Lu Qingyue’s promise, there was nothing left to criticize.

Seeing the crowd watching, You Ying’s pride stung; she feared being called jealous, so she huffed indignantly and left Class One’s classroom.