Chapter 385 - 200: The Li Zhi of This Moment, His Li Zhi
Chapter 385: Chapter 200: The Li Zhi of This Moment, His Li Zhi
The sky was a brilliant, clear blue, without a single cloud in sight.
Shen Yuan glanced to the side. Li Zhi, beside him, was also quietly gazing at the building. The sunlight danced on her gently curled eyelashes, making them sparkle.
Her face held no trace of gloom or the anxiety of waiting, just a faint, gentle curiosity about university life.
Shen Yuan let out a silent sigh of relief. ’This time, she isn’t just a silhouette in the rain.’
And he was right beside her.
"The dorm building looks really nice."
Li Zhi nodded. "I wonder what living on campus will be like."
"If you want, you could actually live on campus starting in the second semester."
Shen Yuan paused, then continued, "If you’re scared, I could live on campus too."
Li Zhi rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I’d rather commute."
Shen Yuan smiled and glanced at his phone.
"It’s about that time. Wanna grab some lunch?"
"Yeah, I’m starving." After that, Li Zhi started complaining to Shen Yuan, "How is this a fun trip? It’s more like you brought me here for boot camp."
After cycling through the campus, the two arrived at the entrance of a massive building.
It was one of Zhejiang University’s dining halls—the very same one Shen Yuan remembered from his fragmented memories, a place Li Zhi often went.
The scent of food and the clamor of voices drifting from the dining hall already signaled the lunchtime rush.
Standing at the entrance, Li Zhi could almost see the billowing steam and packed seating inside through the glass doors.
Almost reflexively, the lonely image flashed through Shen Yuan’s mind: a single beef bowl and the cold glow of a phone screen.
"Let’s go," Shen Yuan said, his voice deliberately cheerful.
"Let’s see what’s good to eat at the Zhejiang University dining hall. It’s my treat. I’ll get you..." He paused intentionally, his gaze on Li Zhi tinged with a hint of hesitation.
"...a beef bowl?"
Li Zhi rolled her eyes at Shen Yuan. "If I wanted a beef bowl, why wouldn’t I just eat at our school! Are you an idiot, Shen Yuan?!"
Hearing her words, the last trace of bittersweetness from his memories finally faded from Shen Yuan’s heart.
He laughed heartily and grabbed Li Zhi’s hand.
"Come on! I’m taking you out for something great! Order whatever you want!"
Shen Yuan’s heroic declaration to "order whatever you want" was still ringing in their ears, but the scene before them left the two high schoolers momentarily stunned.
In the vast space, rows of brightly lit food counters stretched into the distance. Beyond the standard dining hall fare, there were countless other options along the sides.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Shen Yuan, who had been acting so self-assured just moments ago, now stared at the dazzling array of options. He swallowed unconsciously, a clear look of bewilderment flashing in his eyes.
"Uh..." He opened his mouth. "This... Zhejiang University’s dining hall... The variety is just... overwhelming, isn’t it?"
Li Zhi stood beside him, her own lovely eyes darting between the numerous food counters.
Analysis paralysis. It may have been late, but it had most certainly arrived.
Looking at the spectacle before him, Shen Yuan finally understood just how rare his childhood sweetheart’s "low-maintenance" nature truly was.
When faced with an overwhelming number of choices, the ability to quickly lock onto a safe zone and stick to it was, in fact, a form of survival wisdom.
"Have you... figured out which counter to go to?" Shen Yuan turned his head, his gaze a silent plea for help toward Li Zhi.
Li Zhi shot him an exasperated look, though her own expression was tinged with helplessness. "Hey, you’re the one treating me and leading the way. Weren’t you just swearing up and down that you were taking me for something great? And now you’re asking me?"
Called out, Shen Yuan gave a sheepish laugh, his earlier bravado completely gone.
He took a deep breath, as if he’d made a momentous decision. "Why don’t... we just walk around a bit? See if anything whets our appetite?"
"I guess that’s all we can do," Li Zhi sighed, nodding in resignation.
And so, starting from the entrance, the two drifted forward with the crowd like a pair of lost little animals.
They stopped to take a close look at every counter they passed.
"The sweet and sour pork looks so tempting..."
"Those braised bamboo shoots don’t look bad either?"
"Whoa, they even have soup slow-cooked in a clay pot..."
"Those fried noodles look like they have that amazing wok-char..."
"There’s a second floor, too..."
The two of them pointed at the various dishes, murmuring to each other, completely indecisive.
They practically drooled over the colorful and fragrant food on other people’s trays, but when it was time to pick a line for themselves, they were once again paralyzed by choice.
In the end, they made a choice born of pure resignation.
"A beef bowl?"
Li Zhi put her hands on her hips and sighed in resignation. "I give up on you..."
She glanced at the counter they had just passed, then shook her head as if accepting her fate.
"Fine, fine, let’s just get the beef bowl..."
Shen Yuan looked at the pretty girl, her face a mask of pure compromise, and a smile he couldn’t suppress instantly lit up his own.
When Li Zhi saw him smiling, the thought of how they’d wasted all that time just to end up back at square one made her crack a smile too.
"Are you an idiot, Shen Yuan? Did you drag me all this way just for a beef bowl?"
"Hey, what’s wrong with this! Let’s go, let’s go! We need to eat, I’m starving."
Shen Yuan took Li Zhi’s hand and led her toward the beef bowl counter.
A few moments later, trays laden with beef bowls in hand, they found an empty table and sat down.
The two picked up their chopsticks, glanced at each other, and then took their first bite at almost the same time.
"Huh?"
"Hm...?"
Li Zhi’s chewing slowed, a flicker of surprise in her lovely eyes.
Shen Yuan instinctively paused, chopsticks hovering.
"This beef..."
Li Zhi picked up another piece, examining its rich, sauce-coated color before popping it in her mouth. "It seems... this is actually way better than what we get at our school, huh?"