The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

(PS: There's a small survey in the comments section of this chapter that will determine the direction of the plot for a while in the future. I would appreciate it if you, the readers who are following the story, could provide some ideas. lol)

At lunchtime, the cafeteria was still packed with people.

Xu Xi squeezed through the crowd and finally managed to get two plates of rice from the lunchbox window.

She stood on tiptoe, searching for Song Jiayi's figure in the vast sea of ​​people.

Finally, in a corner, they saw Song Jiayi sitting upright and reserved.

"Here you go, thank you for helping me today."

Xu Xi placed one of the more elaborate dishes on the table in front of Song Jiayi.

"It's okay... If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me."

Song Jiayi blushed and said shyly.

He glanced at the plate in Xu Xi's hand, then at the plate in front of him, and was surprised to find that his plate was much more lavish.

Xu Xi nodded politely.

"Want to eat together? There are so many freshmen doing military training right now, it's easy to not find a seat..."

Song Jiayi pointed to the empty seat in front of her.

Xu Xi shook her head: "No, Wen Yao has already saved me a seat."

"Oh, okay then."

Xu Xi turned and left, leaving Song Jiayi alone and forlorn.

A brainstorm quickly swept through his mind.

She was willing to give me an extra plate of food.

Does she like me?

"Hey, why are you hiding here?"

Xu Bowen delivered a powerful elbow strike to Song Jiayi.

"You ran off without even saying goodbye after class. I thought you got a good seat, but you ended up hiding in a corner double seat."

Song Jiayi picked at the rice on her plate and said calmly.

"I arrived too late and couldn't get a spot with the first-year high school students."

"You're talking nonsense. When I came here, there were still seats available in the middle of the cafeteria for four people."

Xu Bowen looked at the food on his plate and made a sound of surprise.

"I remember you didn't eat lion's head meatballs, did you? You said they looked like dung balls rolled by dung beetles, so why are you being the eighth one today?"

"My...taste has changed, this won't do."

Song Jiayi stammered.

"Okay, okay, whatever the top student says goes. After all, it only takes a day to fall for someone else, so what's wrong with changing your taste?"

Xu Bowen said with a grin, and plopped down opposite Song Jiayi.

Ignoring Song Jiayi's brooding gaze, she began to show off the food on her plate.

"However, as your friend, I still have a piece of advice for you."

Don't be greedy and always want more.

"Otherwise, the final result will likely be broken pots and pans."

I know what I'm doing.

Song Jiayi said unhappily.

Xu Bowen shrugged and didn't say anything more.

Hi~ Jiayi, good afternoon.

Zhao Lin's voice came from behind.

"Sister Lin, what kind of state banquet did you have today? Let me drool."

"It's about the same as yesterday. Jiayi likes braised pork, so I served her a little more."

Zhao Lin placed the plate on the table, glanced at the two-person table which was already full, and felt somewhat disappointed.

"You guys eat first, I'll go find another seat."

"Oh, no need, no need, I'm finished eating. I'll be going now, bye-bye."

Xu Bowen finished his meal in the blink of an eye and left in a flash.

Before leaving, he made sure to wipe up the soup he had spilled.

Throughout the entire process, Song Jiayi didn't look up and didn't say a word.

Zhao Lin sat in Xu Bowen's seat and forced a smile.

"Jiayi, how did the xiaolongbao taste this morning? I asked Bowen to bring them to you; I made them myself this morning."

"Uh... the meat is very fresh, the skin is very thin, and it tastes great."

Song Jiayi thought for a moment, then said with a serious expression.

Upon learning that Zhao Lin had prepared this for him personally, he felt a strange pang of guilt.

Originally, he planned to eat that lunchbox while Xu Bowen was out training.

Otherwise, Xu Bowen, that chatterbox, would definitely ask me again in a sarcastic tone whether the things Zhao Lin sent me were delicious.

Seeing that Xu Xi was starving, he handed over the gift that Zhao Lin had prepared for him early in the morning without thinking.

I haven't even opened it myself, let alone tasted it.

Helping my classmate, yes, I'm helping my classmate!

He comforted himself inwardly.

Upon seeing Song Jiayi's response, a hint of disappointment and a touch of hostility flashed across Zhao Lin's eyes.

She wouldn't tell Song Jiayi that the lunchbox she prepared for him actually contained sushi.

To make this box of sushi, she got up at 3 a.m., her eyes bloodshot, and worked tirelessly from cooking rice to buying fresh pork floss, and almost being late before finally finishing wrapping the sushi.

She wouldn't tell Song Jiayi that someone had told her they saw Song Jiayi give the box of sushi to the girl at the table behind her, without tasting a single bite herself.

Zhao Lin was initially skeptical, believing that although Song Jiayi was cold towards her, she would never waste her feelings.

But it wasn't until she personally used lies to coax the truth out of him that Zhao Lin finally gave up completely.

"If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time."

She forced a smile, perfectly concealing the emotions hidden in her eyes.

Song Jiayi nodded mechanically.

Zhao Lin continued to serve him food, urging him to eat more meat and get more nutrition.

Just like every other noon before, there was no difference.

......

"Have you repaid the favor?"

Wen Yao chewed on her food and asked Xu Xi, who was sitting opposite her.

Xu Xi nodded.

"Next time you'd better be more careful and not forget to eat breakfast."

Wen Yao said earnestly.

"Studying may seem easy, as you only need to sit on a chair and occasionally move a pen, but it is actually a very mentally taxing thing."

"When focusing on learning, the brain's energy consumption can account for 30%-35% of the body's total energy consumption."

"I've tried skipping breakfast before to save money to buy lipstick, but I gave up on the first day because I was so hungry. It felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at my stomach."

"I never want to experience that feeling again in my life."

"I...I understand."

Xu Xi lowered her head in shame.

The money saved by skipping breakfast was all used to repay Song Jiayi's favor.

This deal is not worth it at all.

"If you can't afford it, just tell me, and I'll buy you some bread for free from the corner store."

Wen Yao thought about it and realized that Xu Xi might have saved money on breakfast so that she could buy pears for herself.

Xu Xi's family was already poor, and yesterday I saw that her brother's shirt had faded from washing and had several holes that could be vaguely seen, which further proved that.

Thinking about this, she felt even more guilty.

"No, no, no, I really forgot to eat!"

Xu Xi quickly waved her hand, shaking her head like a rattle drum.

"I really just forgot. I usually eat at home, but my brother had something to do this morning, so he dropped me off at school early, and then I forgot to eat breakfast at the breakfast stall near the school gate..."

Wen Yao nodded with some doubt.

"Okay then, don't forget next time."

"Okay, I understand."