“What!? You’re making me go with Gu Chen?”
Tang Ziya didn’t usually mind these tasks.
For the past two years, it had basically been the same.
The school was only responsible for providing the class’s basic supplies; if anything was damaged or lost, the class had to replenish it themselves.
Class Five was a disaster zone for property damage, and most of those losses were the result of her dealing with Gu Chen.
Just yesterday, they had lost three brooms…
She never expected to be assigned to go shopping with her arch-nemesis.
She certainly wasn’t going to do it.
Angry, she said, “Teacher Li, I can handle it myself. I don’t need his help!”
“You’re a girl; how could you carry all that? Obey the arrangement. That’s that. Remember to bring the invoice tonight.”
Li Yanqiu didn’t give her a chance to refuse.
After finishing the instructions and handing over a pre-prepared hall pass, the teacher left the classroom immediately.
Tang Ziya didn’t even have a chance to protest.
She felt like something was off.
Once the teacher was gone, Tang Ziya walked straight out of the classroom, making it clear she had no intention of going with Gu Chen.
‘Psh, as if I want to go with her anyway,’ Gu Chen grumbled.
However, since he had promised the teacher, he couldn’t just brush it off.
He had no choice but to secretly follow the class monitor until they left the school gates.
“Gu Chen, what do you think you’re doing?”
Tang Ziya spun around, her eyes full of suspicion.
She clenched her fists, fearing that Gu Chen might pounce on her like a stray dog in heat at any second.
“Nonsense. Teacher Li told me to follow you to get the supplies. Can I just not go? Besides, we’re in public. What are you afraid of?”
Since his stalking had been discovered, Gu Chen brazenly walked over to explain.
“Who’s afraid of you? Hmph!”
Tang Ziya still looked displeased.
She continued walking forward on her own, neither rejecting nor agreeing to his presence, all while maintaining a steady distance.
Seeing her cold attitude, Gu Chen felt a bit troubled.
He hurried to catch up and said, “Let’s go grab some food first. We can shop after. Otherwise, it’ll be inconvenient to carry everything around.”
“The class fund is public money. How can we use it for eating and drinking? Only you would do something like that.”
Tang Ziya shot him a disdainful glare.
“True. How about this then? This meal is my treat…”
Gu Chen happened to propose his plan to treat her.
Regardless of whether he could improve their relationship, he was following the teacher’s instructions.
“Who wants your treat!”
Unsurprisingly, before Gu Chen could even finish his sentence, Tang Ziya rejected him.
“Whatever. I was just asking out of kindness. I heard that food stall has special crayfish even though it’s already September. The taste is supposed to be unrivaled, and they only have a limited amount every day. It’s a shame. You won’t get to enjoy it.”
Gu Chen shrugged, looking genuinely regretful.
“Crayfish?”
Hearing those words, Tang Ziya couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
One of her biggest traits was being a foodie, and she especially loved crayfish.
Aside from studying, she loved chatting with friends about all kinds of delicious food.
Gu Chen had targeted this specifically to lure her in.
“Yeah! I heard that after they sell out today, they won’t be selling them anymore. If you want to eat them again, you’ll have to wait until next year. Class Monitor, you aren’t afraid to eat with me, are you? You don’t think I’ll poison you, do you?”
“Psh, I’m not afraid!”
As expected, a provocation was the most effective method against her.
Combined with her craving for food, Tang Ziya successfully fell for the trap and agreed to the treat.
Gu Chen led her directly to the nearby food stall.
At this time of day, they mostly served barbecue and crayfish, and the air was thick with a delicious aroma.
“Where are you going?”
Just as they arrived, Tang Ziya started looking around.
Seeing a shop not far away, she hurriedly got up and walked over.
Gu Chen didn’t get an answer to his question, so he simply ordered portions for two of both the barbecue and the crayfish.
Before long, Tang Ziya returned and sat down opposite him.
Seeing that dinner had already been served, her eyes instantly lit up.
However, she restrained herself from eating immediately.
Instead, she took a small box out of her pocket containing several needles.
“What are you doing?”
Gu Chen was utterly confused.
He watched as she poked the needles into the plates, completely unable to understand her actions.
“Hmph! Gu Chen, you really didn’t poison the food?”
Tang Ziya looked at the long needle with an air of dead seriousness and suspicion.
“I…”
Gu Chen almost coughed up a mouthful of blood!
‘Damn it, I was just speaking casually earlier. I didn’t think Tang Ziya would actually buy needles to test for poison.’
‘Besides, you’re supposed to use silver needles for that. What can you test with an embroidery needle? Do you have no common sense?!’
Once she confirmed there was no problem, Tang Ziya began to eat.
Her expression remained blank, but seeing her take bite after bite, it was clear she really liked the flavor.
“We’ll split the bill half-and-half later. I won’t owe you a favor,” Tang Ziya said after a bite of roasted meat.
“Whatever…”
Gu Chen was already mentally exhausted and didn’t feel like wasting his breath.
Suddenly feeling the urge to use the restroom, he stood up.
To prevent her from thinking he was skipping out on the bill, he specifically explained, “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
Tang Ziya didn’t answer.
After speaking, Gu Chen asked the owner for directions.
Once he confirmed there was a stall available, he went to relieve himself.
***
Just as he left, three men were eating and drinking on the other side of Tang Ziya’s table.
Beer bottles were scattered everywhere, and they had clearly drunk quite a bit.
One of them, a bald man, caught sight of Tang Ziya eating crayfish.
He smirked and walked over, reeking of alcohol.
*Thump!!*
“Hey little sister, all alone? Come on, how about having a few drinks at my table?”
The bald man looked her up and down with a lecherous gaze.
“Ah!?”
Startled by the voice, Tang Ziya jumped.
When she turned to look, her expression darkened.
She was especially unsettled by the fact that the guy was shirtless, his bare skin covered in tattoos.
He had the standard ‘Green Dragon on the left, White Tiger on the right,’ with a Mickey Mouse in the middle…
“W-what are you doing?”
Tang Ziya had a strong personality, but that was mostly limited to school.
Encountering a tattooed thug in society still filled her with instinctive fear.
She stood up and took a step back, her fingertips trembling slightly.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m a good guy. Just have a few drinks with us. I’ll pay for your meal, hehe.”
Looking at Tang Ziya’s beautiful face, the tattooed bald man became even more reckless under the influence of alcohol.
“Please don’t—”
The owner saw the situation and tried to intervene.
However, he was immediately glared back by the thugs.
These hooligans were well-known in the neighborhood for fighting and causing trouble all day.
Even if the police were called, they would only be locked up for a few days.
After being released, they would just go back to causing trouble.
None of the local business owners dared to offend them.
Tang Ziya stepped back again.
She took a deep breath and turned to flee.
But her shoulder was grabbed instantly, and she was dragged back with sheer force.
“Let go of me! Or I’ll call the police!”
Tang Ziya screamed, her voice trembling.
“What are you doing? Let her go!”
At that moment, Gu Chen emerged from the restroom.
Seeing the scene, he rushed over, having a general idea of what was happening.
“Oh? A hero saving the beauty? This dinner just got interesting.”
Seeing that it was just a weak-looking student, the bald man’s expression became even more disdainful.
The other two men also began to laugh loudly.