Chapter 5｜Snacks and Traditional pastries

In that post which requested the story between Xu Zhiyi and Meng Yin following numerous speculations, new responses were posted by insiders from class 2 of the grade 12 before noon.

@WhoamItoask: make way, here comes the latest news. After Mr Wang brought Meng Yin into class, our classmates asked her how long she had known our Bro. Yi, and she replied nonchalantly "Is it important?" Well, I immediately gave her a thumbs up.

@LittleBird: a member of class 2. During class breaks, Xu Zhiyi left the classroom and walked straight towards Meng Yin. They exchanged a few whispers, the details of which I did not catch.

@TheGreatOceanisMyHome: none of you upstairs are qualified. As the first person aside from Bro. Yi to engage with our classmate Meng Yin, I hold the most authority. When Zhiyi asked Yin in the corridor about seating arrangements, I thought he was finally considering changing his seat. However, it turned out that he remained the same [smile.jpg].

@PeppaPigisnotpink: Nie Hai, you can be quiet now. I am the one with the most speaking authority besides Xu Zhiyi! During break time, I had an exclusive chat with Meng Yin, and she brought my favourite pork floss pastry. There must be some sweet stories between her and Bro. Yi. PS: Put on your headphones, play "Mischief" [1] to review the opening ceremony interlude, you won't regret it! you won't regret it! PPS: Looking closely at Meng Yin, she has hit my aesthetic points.

...

Thanks to Peppa Pig's suggestion, many searched for the song "Mischief", replayed the opening ceremony in their minds, and then directly "lurked" in the post.

@daughter-in-law: @PeppaPigisnotpink is amazing, I listened to "Practical Joke" to re-imagine the opening ceremony, I can't stop smiling, it's so sweet!!!

@TFS'sSWEETIE: I have a feeling that this might be our school's "Yuan Xiangqin and Jiang Zhishu[2]."

...

After the internal mates of Class 2 commented, more students joined in lurking.

An anonymous comment quietly snuck in among the comments:

— You all are too young.

Before Meng Yin could even speak to Xu Zhiyi, Xipei took her hand and led her to the cafeteria. The cafeterias are divided into the first and second cafeterias. The first floor of the first cafeteria is exclusively for the senior three students, while the second floor is for the general students. Though the menu and nutrition are the same on both floors, this arrangement is mainly to reduce unnecessary waiting time for the senior three students due to their study pressure. The second cafeteria is reserved for the teachers.

"Yin, what would you like to eat?" Xipei asked as they walked towards the cafeteria, with a hint of boasting, "It's my treat for the first meal at TFS."

"No need," Yin replied, "I already have a campus card."

She hadn't encountered someone like Lin Xipei for a long time, feeling a bit awkward yet sincere in Xipei's eyes.

"That's fine, then you pay for me, and I'll pay for you," Xipei changed her approach.

Yin smiled, saying, "Okay."

Seeing Yin's agreement, Lin Xipei, who was already lively and enthusiastic, used her knack for socializing to introduce the cafeteria to Yin. To cater to students from different provinces and cities, the cafeteria is divided into sections for the main food selection, noodles, and pastries. From light to heavy flavours, satisfying various tastes. The meat is particularly popular at the food counter, with the seafood noodles and spicy oil-splashed noodles standing out in the noodle section. Meanwhile, the pastry area is adored by many for its Suzhou-style pastries.

The distance between the academic building and the cafeteria was considerable. Xipei proceeded to give Meng Yin a brief overview as they entered. Their steps echoed through the cafeteria as Xipei turned to Yin and asked, "What would you like to eat?" Her gaze, clear and direct, seemed to convey, "I want to eat everything." Glancing at the windows of several sections, licking her lips, Xipei suggested, "How about noodles? Do you eat noodles?"

 "Yes," Yin replied, not picky.

The two of them reached the counter in no time, as it was exclusively for seniors.

"Auntie, I would like the spicy oil-splashed noodles with extra chili," Xipei said with a smile, handing the menu to the counter aunt along with the campus card.

"Auntie, I want..." Yin was still torn between beef noodles and eggplant potato noodles in her mind.

"Auntie, she wants a serving of tomato noodles with an extra fried egg and a portion of beef."

Someone made choices for her.

Yin even didn't need to turn her head to know it was Xu Zhiyi, but she saw two other people as she turned.

"When did you arrive?" She hadn't noticed his approach.

"When you were queuing."

Yin instinctively pursed her lips.

"Xu Zhiyi, how did you know that Yin likes tomato and egg noodles?"

Xipei keenly detected different scents in the air.

"He is not the only one who knows, I know it too." Xing Xiuze hooked his arm around Zhiyi's shoulder, and greeted Yin with a smile, "Meng Yin, long time no see~"

As if recalling something funny, Xiuze turned to Xipei and said, "Back in junior's moments, whenever the canteen had tomato-fried eggs and braised pork with eggs, she would always beg the auntie to give her more."

Begging the canteen auntie for extra servings did, indeed... have a vivid image.

"Xing Xiuze! you can stop talking now."

An angry glare, as if back at that moment.

Meng Yin, Xu Zhiyi, and Xing Xiuze are all graduates of Junior High School Affiliated to A City. Zhiyi and Yin were classmates in junior school for three years, while Xing Xiuze, after being separated from Zhiyi in the first two years, remained apart even after the class reshuffle in the third year. However, they have been childhood friends, growing up together from elementary school. 

Throughout three years at JHATAC, Xiuze and Zhiyi often shared meals together. Starting from the second year, Yin frequently encountered the two in the cafeteria, either standing in front, behind, or next to her. This led to Xing Xiuze and Xu Zhiyi being well aware of Yin's preferences, often playfully teasing her while she was eyeing the tomato and egg stir-fry or the braised pork with eggs, causing her to miss out on having a bit more than others for a while. 

Zexiu was mischievous at that time, always cracking jokes next to her whenever she was about to ask the cafeteria auntie for the dishes, resulting in a period where she couldn't enjoy a slightly larger portion of the dishes compared to others!