Chapter 47: Strange-Flavored Love

While Su Ziceng was making the call, Qiu Zhi was squeezed in the crowd, battling for the last serving of spicy boiled fish slices of the night. He did not hear the pager because if he had, he would have definitely forsaken the oil-red fish slices that were within an arm’s reach. At that moment, in his eyes, there was only that serving of fish. The restaurant auntie scooped up all the fish slices into the plate of a male freshman from the sports department. Qiu Zhi’s chubby cheeks trembled as he glared at the sports department freshman. After seeing the newcomer’s towering height surpassing one meter ninety, the one-meter-seventy chubby guy swallowed back his drool. "Forget it; it's better to line up and wait for another half-hour to fry another serving." Qiu Zhi’s eyes followed jealously toward the round table at the center of the restaurant. There were only small square tables in the student cafeteria; that round table, which was obviously of a different standard, had been moved from the teachers’ dining room. It was covered with a full portion of spicy boiled fish slices, deep-fried brown peppers, fiery red chili paste giving off heat, sizzling hot oil, and the two pairs of young men and women sitting beside it. Both young men endured the spicy fish as they glanced at the beautiful women sitting by their side. Beauties will be beauties, as Fei Qing gazed at Yan Wuxu, who was puffing from the spice and her face turning red, his heart itched. Hang Yishao, too, was fixating on Deng Jiani. As the peppers induced sweat and the water intake from the spice increased, Deng, the University Department Flower, had already taken off her thin outer jacket, revealing a figure-hugging camisole dress. The sweat induced by the chili emerged from her chest and lingered on her delicate skin, the sight of which was mesmerizing. Irrationally overheated, Hang Yishao and Fei Qing glanced at each other and gulped down some water. Qiu Zhi couldn’t discern many thoughts, though; he only knew that in just a few days, things seemed to have gotten out of control. Hang Yishao’s pursuit of Deng Jiani was known to the entire department; he would often skip his own classes to go to the Management Class 3, and the teachers turned a blind eye. In these past few days, Su Ziceng had not taken the initiative to contact Qiu Zhi, and Qiu Zhi, who only reported good news and not the troubles, dared not report the latest happenings to his superior. "Your pager seemed to have gone off just now; why don’t you check it?" Deng Jiani asked curiously with her tongue sticking out. She was from Sichuan City in Country Z and was famously fond of spicy food. It was rare that Hang Yishao was willing to accompany her to eat such food. Observing Hang Yishao’s forehead and nose already turning red, Deng Jiani pulled out a tissue and started wiping his sweat nonchalantly. As for Hang Yishao’s pursuit, she was truly delighted deep down, but as the belle of the Management Department, she was supposed to put on some airs. She had already inquired about Hang Yishao’s family background thoroughly. He was handsome, and there were too many girls in the school who were interested in him. She had to pretend to be reserved, playing hard to get, which is quite an effective tactic in love. "No need to check; it’s either my mom or..." Hang Yishao was enjoying the pampering of having his sweat wiped by a beauty, squinting his eyes, and feeling that this act of braving the spice for a lady was worth it. "Or it’s Su Ziceng," Fei Qing couldn’t help but mock Hang Yishao’s pretentious look when he saw it. Yan Wuxu, who was listening, accidentally bit into a pepper, and her mouth went numb. She reached for the water cup, but instead of drinking, she just guiltily stared down at the cup. She hadn’t told Su Ziceng about her and Fei Qing’s situation, nor about Hang Yishao and Deng Jiani’s affair. "Who is Su Ziceng?" Deng Jiani’s hand, which was wiping sweat, slowed down as if she were caressing Hang Yishao’s face. "Well, that’s a long story." Fei Qing ignored Hang Yishao, who was winking and making faces on the side, cleared his throat, and said, "She’s Yishao’s old..." "Old friend," Hang Yishao took over the conversation with a threatening wave of his chopsticks. Seeing Deng Jiani almost in his grasp, Fei Qing, that little brat, still insisted on causing chaos, "Our families go way back; she used to stick to me all the time when we were kids, but as we grew up, we drifted apart. Now I’m dating my girl, and she’s attending her women’s college, right? Wuxu." With the crushed pepper still making its presence felt inside Yang Wuxu’s mouth, under the gaze of Hang Yishao and Deng Jiani, she didn’t know what to do, and just as she raised her head to seek Fei Qing’s help, her body stiffened in the seat. Qiu Zhi no longer dared to crave the boiling fish slices; all he hoped for now was that Su Ziceng, for some unknown reason present, would not himself boil over. On the chopsticks above the round table, chopped chilis stood out conspicuously, the red as stark as the fur of orangutans. Yang Wuxu hurriedly stood up, "Zi...ceng." But the "ceng" fell mute under Su Ziceng’s glaring stare. Su Ziceng’s gaze first landed on Deng Jiani’s face, then on those several pairs of chopsticks, the empty glass in front of Hang Yishao, and the devoured fish slices revealing countless bits of chili. Hang Yishao did not like spicy food, as it always made him sweat, and he most detested the smell of sweat. Hang Yishao’s favorite was milk tea with a chicken sandwich; the milk tea had to have only one spoonful of sugar; any more would make his mouth dry. All lies, all lies. In the cafeteria of Zone D, even the air was filled with the scent of chili, irritating Su Ziceng’s eyes to discomfort. Hang Yishao also felt the familiar breath behind him; he didn’t turn around but reached for the empty glass, his gaze and gestures uncertain where to place them. Deng Jiani only glanced at Su Ziceng once before withdrawing her gaze, snorting derisively with her nose. It seems that with love, the physical senses become duller; Hang Yishao suddenly developed a tolerance for spicy food, and Su Ziceng suddenly lost his appetite. "Fatty, why didn’t you answer my calls? I didn’t even have anyone to dine with." The words came out dryly but with a startling calm from Su Ziceng, surprising even herself. Though Qiu Zhi was fat, his reaction was incredibly fast, instantly catching Su Ziceng’s "Tai Chi Ball." "I didn’t hear it just now. Are you looking for me? To eat! How about we go out to eat?" Yang Wuxu was pulled back to her seat by Fei Qing; she watched as Qiu Zhi and Su Ziceng walked out of the Zone D restaurant, dully picked up her chopsticks, and grabbed a pepper, another numbing bite. "Thank goodness she wasn’t here for me." Hang Yishao just breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling something off again; Su Ziceng wasn’t here for him, an inexplicable discomfort. Deng Jiani leaned in close by his side, whispering playful words in his ear. Hang Yishao, this blissful young man, quickly cast aside the discomfort, such was his nature of never needing to worry about anything. "What do you want to eat? How about we go to Zone 3? There’s a good Sichuan restaurant there; the chef is a real Sichuanese." Qiu Zhi steered clear of the minefield, not mentioning the people and events just now, hoping to use the magic of food to keep up with Su Ziceng, who was walking faster and faster without looking back. A clear day doesn’t necessarily lead to a clear night. Su Ziceng walked to the end and started to jog; at the end of the road lay the endless artificial lake, West Lake. Judging by Su Ziceng’s pace, plunging into the lake was a distinct possibility.