Shi Shuning was quietly waiting for Ye Jinmeng in the small garden, glancing at the entrance of Building B from time to time. Then a familiar figure entered his sight.
"Ah Ting, you just got out of class?" Shi Shuning greeted.
"Yeah, just got out of class. What are you doing here?" He Junting nodded and asked back.
"Oh, I'm meeting up with Xiaopang Meng to go eat hot pot."
"You two?"
"At first I was going to ask Xiaopang Meng out alone, but she had already made plans to eat with Xu Wanwan, so I told her to bring Xu Wanwan along." Shi Shuning glanced at his watch, "They just got out of class, so they should be coming out soon."
"I noticed you've been acting strange these past few days. Did something happen between you and Mengmeng?" He Junting asked curiously.
Shi Shuning scratched his head, his ears slightly flushed, and stammered: "Well...nothing much, I confessed to her the other day, probably shocked her..."
He Junting had an "I knew it" expression and teased: "Didn't expect you to be so impatient."
"However, I suggest you take it slow, after all, in Mengmeng's heart, your position is similar to Jinchen's brother, going from brother to boyfriend still takes some getting used to." He Junting advised.
Shi Shuning sighed, "Yeah, I'm a little regretful that I confessed to her back then, so I asked her out today to tell her not to feel pressured."
"Ah Ting, come join us too, it'll be less awkward with more people."
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Shi Shuning had just finished speaking when he saw Ye Jinmeng pulling Xu Wanwan running over.
"Brother Ting is here too! Just perfect, four people together, how lively!" Ye Jinmeng said excitedly.
Xu Wanwan didn't expect He Junting to be there either. She glanced at him once and her heart started pounding uncontrollably.
She suppressed the flutter in her heart, withdrew her gaze, and greeted the two, "Hello seniors."
The two nodded slightly. Seeing everyone had arrived, Shi Shuning spoke up, "Alright, let's not stand here, let's go eat hotpot!"
He Junting, who was inexplicably pulled into the hotpot group: ...Fine.
The four headed to a hotpot restaurant diagonally across from the north gate of Hai City University. It was always packed during mealtimes because of its delicious and authentic taste, plus being right next to campus.
Luckily Shi Shuning had booked a table in advance, so they didn't have to wait and could go right in.
The restaurant was very big with an antique decor. Busy servers and chatting customers coupled with the bubbling hotpot created a lively atmosphere.
The server led them to a square four-person table and pointed to a QR code on the table explaining they could order directly by scanning it. The four sat down, one to each side, comfortable yet intimate.
After ordering, uh...the atmosphere suddenly turned a little awkward.
Ye Jinmeng broke the silence first.
"Today the teacher assigned us a design homework. He said it's to understand our skills and asked us to draw two design drafts with 'dream' as the theme, one male outfit and one female outfit. We have to turn it in after the National Day break ends."
"That's still a long time away." Shi Shuning responded. "There are still eight days until National Day, plus the seven-day holiday. Half a month should be plenty of time for us future top designers, right?"
Ye Jinmeng's face reddened at being called a "top designer." She giggled, "Hehe, too kind, too kind. Although I also think there's ample time, since this is the first independent design in my life, I must treat it carefully and think hard."
Ye Jinmeng clenched her fists, suddenly setting a flag: "So starting tomorrow, I will look for inspiration, sketch, I must make my design drafts the best one!"
Xu Wanwan laughed, from their days of getting along, Ye Jinmeng, with her procrastination and laziness, if she really started planning and drawing tomorrow, Xu would do a handstand and wash her hair upside down.
Still, Xu Wanwan encouraged: "Good, I support you Mengmeng, you'll definitely be the best!"
Shi Shuning chimed in: "Xiaopang Meng is of course the best. So Xiaopang Meng, after you design them, please make them into actual clothes okay? I hope I can be the first person to wear the first outfit Xiopang Meng designed herself."
Xu Wanwan and He Junting exchanged meaningful looks toward Ye Jinmeng. Ye Jinmeng's face grew even redder, but still said pretentiously: "That depends on my mood, if I'm happy, I'll make the clothes for you to wear."
Shi Shuning laughed at her little gesture. He said dotingly, "Haha, alright, Xiaopang Meng, I'll look forward to it then."
He Junting saw the two happy quarrelers and smiled slyly, "Okay, if you compliment her any more, Mengmeng won't know which way is north."
"Pfft!" Xu Wanwan couldn't help laughing out loud. She turned her head and saw He Junting was also looking at her. Xu Wanwan quickly muted herself, lowering her eyes awkwardly.
Luckily because of the idle chatter just now, the atmosphere was no longer awkward. Soon the dishes arrived and Shi Shuning went into feeding mode. Ye Jinmeng unleashed her skills. He Junting and Xu Wanwan glanced at each other again before calmly eating.
On the other side, in the second canteen at Hai City University.
Wu Mingshi sat down gloomily with a food tray at an empty spot, eating while scheming how to pursue Xu Wanwan.
Just then, a low, hoarse, gloomy voice sounded next to him. "I can help you get Xu Wanwan, if you want."
