hooklinebooks Chapter 53 The Relationship That Allows Us to Eat Hot Pot Together
Chapter 53 The Relationship That Allows Us to Eat Hot Pot Together
The two entered the cafeteria, which has a wide variety of food stalls to cater to students from all over the country.
Of course, Chen Che immediately ruled out duck blood vermicelli soup.
Chen Sui looked around for a while, wanting to order a plate of boiled sliced pork, but Chen Che shook his head, thought for a moment and said, "Class monitor, how about we get a spicy hot pot?"
Chen Che spoke in a calm tone, pretending to be nonchalant, but upon closer inspection, one could discern the underlying meaning.
The two of them each ordered a serving of boiled sliced pork, which was served separately. However, the spicy stir-fry was cooked in the same pot and eaten together, which was one of the benefits of maintaining social distance when wiping the dust off her.
Chen Che quietly and subtly made his move.
As expected, Chen Sui hesitated again after hearing Chen Che's suggestion.
Seeing this, Chen Che deliberately avoided mentioning that the two of them had eaten together, and instead said, "I'll treat you to something more expensive."
Chen Sui understood the situation perfectly and, not wanting to offend her newly acknowledged friend, finally said, "Okay."
Each of them took a basin and began to select ingredients, separating meat and vegetables. Chen Che picked the vegetables, and Chen Sui picked the meat.
After picking for a while, Chen Che had already filled his bowl with quite a few potato slices, tofu skin, and shiitake mushrooms, saying he'd save them for tomorrow.
Looking again at Chen Sui's plate, it was completely empty except for a few pieces of bacon and quail eggs, and she looked embarrassed.
Chen Che chuckled: "Choose any class monitor you like, and I'll pay for today's expenses."
"Okay... then..." Chen Sui finished being polite, and saying it again would sound a bit coquettish and affected.
I also picked out some meatballs, luncheon meat, and pork tenderloin skewers and put them on my plate.
The weight alone was nearly fifty yuan. Chen Che appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was cursing. Damn it, a bunch of pre-made fake meat is selling for such a high price. It's outrageous.
The two found seats facing each other. As the awkward silence deepened, Chen Che was just about to start a conversation when he heard a woman's voice behind him:
"Hey hey hey, isn't this the class monitor?"
Chen Che turned around and saw Guo Mei standing behind him with an ambiguous smile on her face.
"Hey, isn't this Chen Che?"
"Oh, you two eat together?"
When Chen Sui saw Guo Mei staring straight at her, she guiltily turned her head away slightly: "No, it's just... we happened to be having dinner together."
"Oh, you're having dinner together? What's your relationship that you're having dinner together?" Guo Mei asked with a smile.
"That's just a relationship from eating hot pot together, what else could it be?" Chen Che said casually, leaving Guo Mei with endless imagination.
Think about it yourself, figure it out for yourself, after all, he never said that the two of them were dating.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Guo Mei's gaze swept over the two of them again, and she exclaimed, "So it's because we can eat hot pot together. I thought it was just because we can eat hot pot together."
After exchanging greetings, Guo Mei was too lazy to argue with the two of them anymore, since she had really just happened to run into them.
Just as he was about to leave, he thought for a moment and deliberately said something to Chen Sui, his tone still carrying a hint of suspicion:
"Squad leader, there's a curfew tonight, remember to come back early. You didn't come back last time."
Then he left without looking back.
The night Chen Sui didn't go home, she was working on a PPT with Chen Che. Although the two of them were completely innocent, their relationship was currently neither good nor bad. Guo Mei's mention of it made things a little awkward.
Fortunately, there aren't many people eating Mala Xiangguo these days. After a notification that "Please pick up your order for Mala Xiangguo #99," Chen Che went to get his order and bought two cans of Coke along the way.
"I'll buy you a drink."
Chen Sui frowned: "I don't like drinking Coca-Cola."
Chen Che scoffed, "People actually drink Pepsi toilet cleaner?"
"..."
"Do you have some kind of unusual fetish for liking to drink disinfectant?"
.......
After exchanging a few words, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Chen Che casually, but actually deliberately, asked, "How are things going with your roommates?"
It's inevitable to feel the growing pains of leaving your familiar circle to meet new friends. Getting to know someone is a process that takes time and adjustment.
For someone like Chen Che, who has honed his personality to the point of being naturally outgoing, this is certainly not a problem. But for someone else, the initial pain might turn into a prolonged agony.
"Hmm...it's fine." Chen Sui answered vaguely while eating with her head down.
Chen Che glanced at her but didn't expose her: "It's good that you're fine."
Chen Che silently complained to himself, "With your personality, it's no wonder you can't get along with someone as strong-willed as Guo Mei."
Moreover, these five girls in the same dormitory are the entire class. Originally, if they couldn't get along with their own dormitory, they could at least hang out with other dormitories, but now that path is no longer viable.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Che subtly suggested, "However, a class is just a small circle, while university is a much larger circle with many more ways to organize and connect people, such as student unions, clubs, and so on."
"Being with like-minded people allows you to have more in common and grow and progress together."
"For example... um... what's your external relations department head's name again?"
"Zhang Jing".
"Oh right, I remember your Minister Zhang is quite capable. Back when he was just a junior staff member, he secured several thousand yuan in sponsorships. It's definitely a good idea to learn from him," Chen Che said earnestly.
"Oh, but how did you know?" Chen Sui nodded, then asked warily, wondering how she didn't know that he was her colleague.
"Uh... my roommate heard about it when he went for his job interview the other day, haha." Chen Che chuckled twice and tried his best to explain.
"Hmph, our minister is not only capable, but also beautiful. Many people want to pursue her, but she hasn't responded. I have her WeChat. Since we know each other, do you want me to recommend her to you?" Chen Sui raised an eyebrow, her tone relaxed.
Chen Che's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Really? Are you going to push it?"
Chen Che regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. Before Chen Sui's gaze could turn murderous, Chen Che quickly added:
"I won't add you even if you reject me; you're not my type."
"Oh, I see. So what type do you like?" Chen Sui asked curiously.
"What kind of girl do I like..." Chen Che thought for a moment, then stared into Chen Sui's eyes and said, "Somewhat like you."
"Huh??" Chen Sui was a little stunned by the direct question. She froze for a moment like a block of wood before she realized what was happening and avoided direct eye contact. Her earlobes started to turn red and hot, and she didn't know what to say.
"Hey~ Class monitor, don't be so narcissistic." Chen Che teased her, then explained with a serious expression:
"I said she's somewhat like you, not that she's you. She's more composed and confident, more determined and decisive, and more mature and steady than you."
"Is that so?" Chen Sui's slight expectation was dashed, and her tone was neither disappointed nor regretful.
After the two finished their meal, Chen Sui took out her phone and asked, "How much did it cost? Let's split the bill."
Chen Che waved his hand: "What do you mean 'A'? I told you it was my treat."
"Just treat me next time, that'll be fine."
If you split the bill with her, the meal is over; if you don't, she'll remember that she still owes Chen Che a meal.
Of course, this method is only applicable when two people are relatively familiar with each other, and only then can there be a back-and-forth exchange.
"All right."
After saying goodbye to each other, Chen Sui sighed with a hint of disappointment. It seemed that Chen Che didn't like her type.
He just said that he likes girls who are better than him.
Hmm? Hold on a minute.
Chen Che just said he likes girls who are better than him, right?
Then all I have to do is become better, right?
But why should I become better for others?
Isn't the desire to become excellent an intrinsic motivation?
Uh-huh……
……
On the other side, Guo Mei, who had also eaten dinner, came to take a walk by the lake alone, but her expression looked much more serious.
She initially had a good impression of Chen Che, but it stemmed from her innate fondness for handsome men.
Of course, she also admitted that she did not start flirting with men right away. After all, she planned carefully before she acted. By the time she had finished evaluating everyone, it seemed that she was already a big step behind others.
She wasn't too bothered by that; if she missed this one, she could just try another. What bothered her was how her wooden-headed class monitor and roommate beat her to it.
Without her even noticing, she quietly conceived a child.
I just can't figure it out.
Just as Guo Mei was walking and thinking, she wasn't paying attention and accidentally bumped into someone, hitting her forehead on their shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." It was the other person who apologized first.
Guo Mei looked up and saw a handsome young man. She realized he was someone she knew, but he probably didn't recognize her because he was the current student council president of the School of Civil Engineering who had spoken on stage during the student council recruitment that day.
I think I heard from a senior student that he and his girlfriend recently broke up?
As her thoughts raced, Guo Mei had already come up with a plan.
She clutched her head, frowning and feigning pain: "It hurts so much! Don't you watch where you're going?"
"Uh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"Well... you can just buy me a milk tea, that's fine," Guo Mei said after thinking for a moment.
The other person hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
When they arrived at the milk tea shop, Guo Mei glanced at the menu and deliberately ordered the most expensive one, which cost 25 yuan.
The student council president pursed his lips, but didn't say anything more and quickly paid the money.
Guo Mei saw it all. Okay, the test passed.
Suddenly, she changed the subject and flashed a bright smile: "Don't be angry, classmate who was just joking with you. Thank you for buying me milk tea."
"Let's add each other as friends, and I'll transfer the money to you."
……