Chapter 41: Goodbye

The bathroom was empty.

Qin Huan washed her hands and looked at her slightly flushed face in the mirror, taking a deep breath.

‘What the hell is Guchuan Xing trying to do? Even though Ju Zhenli’s Obsession Degree has dropped and she’s in that gentle, reliable, good-woman state, if Guchuan Xing keeps provoking like this, there’s no telling what might happen.’

She dried her hands and pushed open the bathroom door again.

A figure in a red apron with her hair in a bun was standing in the corridor…

Su Lingling hadn’t expected to run into Qin Huan here either.

She was holding a tray of freshly made strawberry mousse, clearly on her way to deliver desserts to the maid cafe.

The two stood face to face, separated by a corridor that was neither wide nor narrow.

“Lingling…”

Qin Huan spoke first.

Su Lingling’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t show too much excitement.

She just nodded gently with a faint smile.

“Huanhuan, long time no see.”

Her tone was calm, as if greeting an ordinary friend.

“Lingling, have you been…”

“Huanzi!”

Guchuan Xing’s voice suddenly came from not far away.

“Huanzi, why are you taking so long?”

Su Lingling lowered her eyelashes, that faint smile still on her lips.

“Huanhuan, your friend is calling you.”

“Lingling…”

“Go ahead.”

Su Lingling looked up, her sparkling eyes reflecting Qin Huan’s flustered expression.

“I’ll just drop off the dessert and leave.

Good luck with the cultural festival.

I’ll come watch your performance.”

Qin Huan opened her mouth, wanting to say a lot, but Guchuan Xing urged her again.

Su Lingling had already walked past her, carrying the strawberry mousse.

As they brushed shoulders, Qin Huan caught a faint scent of strawberries.

Qin Huan bit her lip, turned, and walked back to her seat.

When she sat down, the menu was already on the table.

She sat next to Ju Zhenli, but her mind wasn’t on ordering at all.

“Xiao Huan?” Ju Zhenli turned her head, her voice carrying a hint of concern.

“Ah? I’m fine.”

Qin Huan shook her head and shifted her attention to the menu.

The menu was hand-drawn.

Next to each dish was a cute illustration and a small description.

Qin Huan’s eyes scanned the flashy names and finally stopped on a line of pink text at the bottom: [Mystery Small Dish — Limited daily, created randomly by the head chef based on today’s mood.]

“I’ll have this!” Qin Huan pointed at the Mystery Small Dish.

Ju Zhenli glanced at the description on the menu and frowned slightly.

The words “random creation” instinctively triggered a sense of caution.

“Elder Sister Zhenli, you should get one too~”

Qin Huan grabbed Ju Zhenli’s sleeve and used her tried-and-true puppy-dog eyes technique.

“Since we’re at a maid cafe, wouldn’t it be a waste not to order the most iconic thing?”

Ju Zhenli nodded lightly.

“I’ll pass.”

Guchuan Xing rested her chin on one hand while flipping through the menu casually with the other.

“I’m not interested in all that sweet stuff… I’ll take a curry rice, the spiciest one.”

“Senpai, you’re ordering curry rice at a maid cafe?” Qin Huan couldn’t help but comment.

“What? Is that not allowed?”

Guchuan Xing said confidently.

“The soul of a maid cafe is the maids, not the food.”

She raised a finger and spoke seriously.

“Besides, I just went through a life-or-death trial at the Mahjong Club. I need carbs to replenish my energy.”

Qin Huan decided to ignore her.

She waved over the maid student serving the nearby tables and placed the order: two Mystery Small Dishes and one extra-spicy curry rice.

The maid student wrote down the order, said with a sweet smile, “Please wait a moment, Master,” and then trotted toward the kitchen with the menu.

While waiting, Ju Zhenli took a sip of ice water, and Guchuan Xing continued poking the ice cubes in her glass, making a clinking sound.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Masters!”

The maid student carried a tray to the table and set down three dishes.

The two Mystery Small Dishes were under silver dome lids, one pink and one gold, while the curry rice sat normally on a white ceramic plate.

Guchuan Xing picked up her spoon, scooped a large mound of curry rice, and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Ha, not bad. Better than I expected.”

Qin Huan and Ju Zhenli each looked at the dome lids in front of them.

“Should we open them together?” Qin Huan placed her hand on the top of her lid.

“Mm.”

Ju Zhenli reached out as well.

They lifted their lids at the same time.

On Qin Huan’s pink plate was a heart-shaped strawberry mousse cake, with the word “love” piped crookedly in cream on top.

Next to it, drawn in chocolate sauce, sat a round, chubby orange cat tilting its head at the lettering.

Qin Huan recognized this mousse cake.

It was the one Su Lingling had been holding earlier.

On Ju Zhenli’s gold plate was a matcha mille crepe.

On top, fine matcha powder had been sifted into an exquisite school emblem pattern.

“That one is specially prepared by our head chef for the President!”

The maid student puffed out her chest with pride.

“The head chef said the President works so hard usually, so she needs a little extra sweetness.”

Ju Zhenli looked at the delicate matcha mille crepe before her, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she picked up the small silver spoon beside it.

Qin Huan also picked up her spoon, carefully scooping a small bite of the strawberry mousse into her mouth.

The sweet and tangy strawberry flavor melted on her tongue.

The layered jam had a slight graininess, interweaving with the smooth mousse, finishing with a faint cream aroma.

“Is it good?”

Ju Zhenli turned her head to look at her.

“Mm, it’s super good.”

Qin Huan nodded vigorously, then scooped another spoonful, puffing out her cheeks as she chewed.

She looked up at Ju Zhenli and smiled brightly.

Ju Zhenli reached out, her cool fingertips gently brushing the corner of Qin Huan’s mouth.

“You got cream on you.”

A crisp clink came from across the table.

Guchuan Xing had tapped her spoon against the edge of her curry rice plate.

“I’m full. The curry rice is pretty filling, haha.”

Qin Huan looked at the plate, which still had more than half the rice left.

“Senpai, you only ate two bites.”

“I have a small stomach.”

“You just said you were starving.”

“That was then. Now I’m suddenly not hungry.”

Guchuan Xing picked up her glass of ice water, chugged half of it, then set it down heavily and stood up.

“I’m going to buy a fruit tea outside. This stuff is too spicy. I can’t eat it without something to drink.”

She strode out of the tent.

Qin Huan watched her figure disappear behind the curtain, then scooped another spoonful of strawberry mousse into her mouth.

After lunch, the three of them left the maid cafe.

“Elder Sister Zhenli, let’s go check out the other booths!”

Ju Zhenli nodded.

“Me too!” Guchuan Xing immediately inserted herself into the conversation, holding a cup of weirdly colored green fruit tea she’d bought from some stall.

Seeing Guchuan Xing acting like a tag-along, a wicked idea popped into Qin Huan’s head.

“Elder Sister Zhenli! Let’s go to the haunted house!”

Ju Zhenli’s steps faltered slightly.

Her expression remained calm and composed, but her grip on Qin Huan’s hand tightened.

Guchuan Xing’s fruit tea-sipping motion also froze.

Qin Huan blinked, looked at Ju Zhenli, then at Guchuan Xing.

“You guys… aren’t scared, are you?”