Oh no, the aloof school beauty has been reborn too!

The streets were much livelier than the campus in the evening.

Not far from the main gate of Jiangcheng University is a commercial street.

At this time of day, food stalls along the roadside gradually began to set up.

The aroma of grilled squid mingled with the oily fragrance of fried food, wafting from one side to the other.

There were many students coming and going, and the two walked side by side on the sidewalk.

Lu walked slightly to the outside, while Shen Qingyi walked inside.

The two were less than an arm's length apart.

However, Shen Qingyi's presence was simply too strong.

The evening breeze carried a faint fragrance from her hair.

Even just walking quietly is enough to make people subconsciously turn around.

Since leaving the school gate, Lu Xing has received countless stares.

Some girls looked at Shen Qingyi with curiosity.

Of course, most boys would look at Shen Qingyi first, and then at Lu Xing.

That look in his eyes was very complicated...

Shock, confusion, jealousy.

Unwilling!

And a very obvious one—

What gives you the right?

Lu Xing even saw murderous intent in the eyes of several boys.

If gazes could solidify, he felt he would probably be riddled with holes.

Lu Xing took a silent breath.

He suddenly realized that walking outside with Shen Qingyi required a certain amount of mental fortitude.

In his previous life, he had only heard the name Shen Qingyi.

I've occasionally seen a few blurry photos and videos on forums and video platforms.

But those things ultimately lack a sense of reality.

Only now does he truly understand what "turnaround rate" means.

A boy walking towards them was talking to his companion. When he caught sight of Shen Qingyi out of the corner of his eye, his voice visibly faltered.

Then the man's gaze fell on Lu Xing, and his expression instantly became subtle.

Lu Xing walked past him expressionlessly.

Don't look at me...

I don't know why this is happening.

The two didn't actually talk much on their way out of the campus.

Half the time was spent in silence.

The other half of the time was spent chatting about trivial matters.

For example, how long the class meeting lasted, and what the counselor's temperament seemed like.

Are there many male students in the Computer Science Department?

These topics are all very ordinary.

But Lu Xing felt that Shen Qingyi's intentions were not simply to chat.

She seemed to be constantly trying to understand what was going on around him.

After walking onto the street outside the school, Lu Xing glanced at the shops on both sides and took the initiative to ask:

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Shen Qingyi slowed her pace a little and thought about it very seriously.

She slightly raised her eyes and looked at the lit-up signs on the other side of the street, as if she were recalling something.

After a moment, she said:

"Would you like to get some noodles?"

Lu Xing was taken aback.

"Noodles?"

"Um."

Shen Qingyi nodded.

"Noodles, dry noodles, soup noodles, anything is fine~"

She paused, then added:

"I haven't eaten noodles for a while."

Lu Xing glanced at her with some surprise.

"You like noodles?"

Shen Qingyi thought for a moment.

"well enough."

She said softly:

"I just suddenly had a craving for it."

Lu Xing nodded.

"Okay then."

He thought for a moment and said:

"There's an alley nearby with a few pretty good noodle shops."

Shen Qingyi's eyes lit up slightly.

"Are you familiar with this place?"

Lu Xing paused for a moment, then quickly said without changing his expression:

"I read a lot of travel guides before coming to the school, and some people recommended it online."

"The renovations might not be that great; they're all old shops."

Shen Qingyi looked at him, her eyes clear and calm.

"I see~"

Lu Xing cleared his throat and pointed in a direction:

"Over here."

Shen Qingyi followed naturally.

The two walked a short distance along the street and then turned into a small alley.

The alleyway entrance wasn't very wide.

People who are not familiar with this area can easily miss it.

But once you turn inside, you'll find a completely different world inside.

Both sides of the alley are lined with various small restaurants.

Clay pot rice noodles, Chongqing noodles, Lanzhou ramen, fried rice and rice bowls, spicy hot pot, fried skewers, duck blood vermicelli soup...

I'm hungry.

The signs stood side by side, their light boxes glowing rather gaudy.

The air was filled with the aromas of various foods.

The sounds of spatulas clattering and the owner calling out to customers suddenly came from all directions.

Don't let its small alley fool you, there are quite a few people here.

Especially now that it's lunchtime, the alley is almost full of students and office workers looking for food.

Some stores even have queues forming in front of them.

As soon as Lu Xing led Shen Qingyi inside, they felt that the crowd was much denser than outside.

The alley was not wide to begin with, and there were also some small tables set up by the shops on both sides.

With people constantly coming and going, it became quite crowded.

Shen Qingyi seemed not to be used to this environment and subconsciously moved a little closer to Lu Xing.

Lu Xing noticed it too.

I should have eaten somewhere else...

He glanced at the shop assistant carrying two bowls of noodles out in front of him, and then at the few boys who squeezed in from behind.

The crowd suddenly shoved towards the center, and Shen Qingyi's shoulder was nearly bumped by someone passing by.

The next second, Lu Xing grabbed Shen Qingyi's hand.

My hands are soft and cold.

The fingers are slender, and the palms have a delicate warmth.

The moment Lu Xing grabbed her, his mind hadn't fully processed what was happening.

But once he actually touched her hand, Lu Xing seemed to suddenly come to his senses.

What did he do?

Did he grab Shen Qingyi's hand?

Lu Xing's heart skipped a beat.

And why does he always feel...?

The way I took her hand felt strangely practiced.

Shen Qingyi was also visibly taken aback.

She paused for a moment, as if startled by the sudden movement.

Lu Xing was about to let go and apologize, but before he could even move, he felt Shen Qingyi's fingers twitch.

She neither pulled away nor withdrew her hand.

Instead, she slightly adjusted the position of her hands.

Lu Xing had only grabbed her wrist and fingers, his movements somewhat hasty.

Shen Qingyi, however, readjusted her awkward posture.

Her fingers slid between his fingers, then gently clasped them together.

"抓" has become "牵".

Everything was so natural, as if it were how they were supposed to be.

The tactile sensation from my palm was exceptionally clear.

Soft and warm.

There was also a hint of intimacy that was hard to define.

Lu Xing's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced himself to calm down.

He looked straight ahead and tried to explain in a normal tone:

"There are too many people; this way, we won't get separated."

"...and it's not easy to fall down."

After saying these words, Lu Xing himself felt a bit dry.

Shen Qingyi did not speak immediately.

She simply walked quietly beside him, being led by the hand.

Two seconds later, he gave a soft "hmm".

Even though he knew perfectly well that holding a girl's hand like this seemed to go far beyond the distance that ordinary friends should have.

But Lu Xing's hand seemed to be out of his control, unwilling to let go of hers.

The slight friction of his fingertips from walking kept his heart racing.

Lu Xing felt he should say something now, anything would do.

But the more he thought about it, the more blank his mind became.

Lu Xing had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep going.

He led the girl away from a group of students who had just come out of the mala tang restaurant, and then around the crowd queuing at the entrance.

Shen Qingyi stayed by his side the whole time without struggling.

Even when someone squeezes in from the side, she will naturally move a little closer to Lu Xing.

The girl didn't look around or show any curiosity about each store.

She simply walked beside him, letting him lead her.

Wherever he takes her...

She was willing to follow along.

Lu Xing took a deep breath and tried to bring his attention back to reality.

"The Chongqing noodle shop up ahead is pretty good."

Lu Xing said:

"But it will be a bit spicy."

Shen Qingyi looked at him:

"Can you handle spicy food?"

Lu Xing nodded:

"I'm doing alright, how about you?"

Shen Qingyi thought for a moment:

"If it's too spicy, I'll probably drink a lot of water."

That means you can't eat spicy food.

Lu Xing thought for a moment and finally said:

"Then don't eat anything too spicy."

He glanced at the girl and added:

"After all, eating spicy food seems to cause acne."

"There's also a beef noodle shop inside; the broth is quite light, and it's pretty good."

Shen Qingyi nodded.

"I'll listen to you."

The three words almost made Lu Xing lose his footing.

The two continued walking forward.

Lu Xing led her through the most crowded section of the road until they finally reached a slightly more spacious area.

That beef noodle shop is just ahead.

The shop is small, with an old sign hanging at the entrance.

The lettering on the signboard was a bit faded, but there were quite a few people sitting inside.

Steam wafted out from the doorway, carrying the aroma of beef bone broth.

But Lu Xing realized something at that moment—

Should we let go?

Continuing to hold hands seems a bit unreasonable.

Lu Xing's fingertips twitched slightly.

But Shen Qingyi seemed to sense his thoughts, and her fingers tightened slightly.

Lu Xing froze for half a second.

After a moment, he acted as if nothing had happened and took two more steps forward with Shen Qingyi.

People were going in and out of the beef noodle shop.

Lu Xing subconsciously stepped aside, letting Shen Qingyi avoid the shop assistant who came out with the noodles.

In that instant, he couldn't help but steal a glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

Lu Xing thought Shen Qingyi would at least feel a little embarrassed.

Even if you're very composed, shouldn't you still have some girlish shyness?

But when Lu Xing's gaze quietly fell over, it met her eyes.

She kept looking at him.

The girl showed no shyness or panic whatsoever.

On the contrary, she always had a gentle smile on her lips.

That smile was clean and gentle, like the light falling at the alleyway at dusk.

The surrounding area was bustling with noise, and the shops were brightly lit.

At that moment, Lu Xing had a strange feeling.

The girl in front of me...

Why does she seem to have a married woman vibe?