Chapter 25

Over the weekend, the days were filled with military training, but in the evenings, there was a rare opportunity to rest without night drills.

Taking advantage of this bit of free time in the evening, the freshmen could also step out of the school gates and head to the nearby snack streets or malls for a stroll.

Since they were exhausted from yesterday’s training, Li Jiao and her two friends didn’t feel like moving and didn’t go out.

But today, they couldn’t afford to be lazy. It was their first chance to relax since starting the military training. The next opportunity would have to wait until next week. For the freshmen undergoing military training at school, the days felt like being imprisoned in hell.

Today, they had to go out, no matter what.

Sunday afternoon’s training ended earlier, at five o’clock.

On the high platform, after the chief instructor announced “dismissal,” thousands of people scattered like birds and beasts. Some headed straight for the school gates, while others thought about returning to their dorms to change clothes and freshen up before going out.

Li Jiao and her friends agreed to go back to the dorm first, take a shower, change clothes, and then go out. After all, they had trained all day, sweating profusely and feeling all sticky, which they couldn’t bear.

As soon as the command to “dismiss” was given, Zhang Yue and Su Linlin grabbed Li Jiao and ran, leaving her unable to even say goodbye to the instructor. The two of them dragged her along, running wildly all the way, in a hurry.

When they rushed past Zhang Jiuling, Li Jiao only managed to leave behind a word: “Inst…”

The rest of the word was drowned out by the wind.

Zhang Jiuling was puzzled, glancing at the hurriedly dragged girl.

With narrowed eyes, why were they running so fast, like they were stealing a meal?

Zhang Yue and Su Linlin supported the weak Li Jiao and rushed back to the dormitory, running all the way.

Then, the three of them hurriedly changed clothes and took showers.

After fussing around for nearly an hour, the three of them changed into casual clothes and put on a little makeup before heading out.

Nanjing University is located in a very good area, considered the economic center of the city. With several universities nearby, it has formed its own university town.

Several universities are close to each other, connected by dozens of commercial streets. There are clothing stores, barber shops, cinemas, supermarkets, and jewelry stores, as well as various restaurants, snack shops, Japanese sushi, Korean barbecue, milk tea, fried chicken, hot pot…

As night falls, the city lights up, creating a vibrant atmosphere.

This is also one of the major attractions in Nan City.

“Jiao, Linlin, let’s ride bikes out.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Li Jiao and her friends scanned the QR codes for shared bikes and rode directly from the dormitory building to the school gate.

Nanjing University is not particularly strict about managing shared bikes. For the convenience of travel, students occasionally ride shared bikes on campus, when going out on weekends, or for events.

It’s six o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun hasn’t set yet.

Riding along the tree-lined path, scattered golden rays of light filter through the leaves onto the ground. There’s a faint scent of grass and a slight salty taste unique to September in the air. A not-so-cool breeze brushes past the ears, lifting black hair and swirling in the air.

Along the way, many people were heading outside the campus, probably like Li Jiao and her friends, to go out for a stroll.

Boys and girls walked together, chatting and laughing.

Li Jiao enjoyed the wind blowing in her face, squinting her eyes. For the first time in so long, she felt the difference between university and high school.

Finally, they weren’t rushing anymore; they could stop and enjoy the beauty of life.

“Let’s park the bikes here.”

Just outside the school gate, the three of them parked the shared bikes by the roadside.

Outside the school gate, there were plenty of shops worth exploring everywhere, and riding bikes seemed cumbersome.

In the past half month, they had gotten used to the repetitive and dull military training. Suddenly standing at a bustling intersection, with cars coming and going and a constant flow of people, it truly felt like a world apart.

“Grumble~”

Zhang Yue’s stomach growled, and she rubbed her belly, suggesting, “How about we eat dinner first?”

This suggestion quickly gained the agreement of the other two.

“Sure, what should we eat?”

“Barbecue? Skewers?”

“Hey, I heard there’s a place nearby that serves really delicious bowl chicken.”

“Do you want sushi?”

“Korean cuisine is also good, you know.”

“…………”

The three girls chatted and laughed as they walked towards the bustling commercial street.

It had been too long since they tasted anything outside the cafeteria, and they wanted to eat everything they saw. In the end, they followed the suggestion of the youngest, Li Jiao, and dashed into a barbecue restaurant to feast.

After eating for nearly forty minutes, as the sky darkened, they finally patted their round bellies, feeling full and satisfied with the barbecue aroma clinging to them as they stood on the street.

At that moment, the night market on the commercial street began. Various vendors dragged carts, lit up their lights, set up blue tents, and arranged tables and chairs.

Another kind of prosperity began.

“Barbecue, barbecue.”

“Stinky tofu, stinky tofu.”

“Spicy hot pot, delicious and fragrant spicy hot pot.”

“Hey, beautiful ladies, take a look; this hair clip is really pretty.”

“Fruits, fruits, all kinds of sweet and juicy fruits.”

“Boss, how much is this one?”

“…………”

Various vendors arrived at their usual spots, setting up their stalls to start business. There were fruits, fried skewers, Jianbing guozi (a type of Chinese pancake), as well as snacks from all over the country, handmade flowers by nearby grandmothers, coin purses woven by young ladies, and uncles selling various hair ties and hairpins…

The night’s prosperity began with them.

After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Li Jiao and her friends walked into the neighboring milk tea shop. Each of them bought a cup of milk tea and leisurely began to stroll through the night market, sipping their drinks as they went.

Walking around, stopping here and there, the streets were filled with youthful faces, mostly students from nearby universities.

It was too hot during the day, and now that night had fallen, it was time to come out for some food.

There were all kinds of tempting snacks everywhere, overwhelming them. Despite being full, Li Jiao and her friends still ended up buying a lot. By the time they were done, their hands were full of various snack bags.

“Boss, Linlin, I’m going to buy some fruits next door.”

Li Jiao said to the two standing in front of the barbecue stall, then walked over to another fruit stall to buy some fruits.

“Boss, how much for the mangoes?”

The boss was a slightly chubby man with a money pouch hanging from his waist. He was currently helping other customers weigh fruits, and with the stall being crowded, he seemed a bit overwhelmed.

Upon hearing this, the boss handed a bag to Li Jiao.

“Mangoes are ten yuan, kiwis are twelve, oranges are six, apples are five, and watermelon is one yuan fifty. They’re all very sweet. Sister, you can pack them yourself, I’ll help you weigh them in a moment.”

The fruits outside the university weren’t particularly expensive, much better compared to supermarkets.

Feeling the prices were reasonable and the fruits were quite fresh, Li Jiao selected some and handed them to the boss.

After Su Linlin and Zhang Yue finished buying grilled squid, they both held bags in one hand and skewers in the other, enjoying their meal.

“Jiaojiao, are you done buying?”

“I’m done, Boss, Linlin, do you want to buy some? This fruit stall is pretty good.”

Zhang Yue stuffed the squid from the skewer into her mouth, chewing.

“I’m not buying. I still have plenty of grapes and peaches in my dorm.”

Nanjing University also had commercial streets inside, with various things available, so everyone usually lacked nothing.

Leaving school was just to experience the outside world. Besides, inside and outside the campus were different.

After finishing her grilled squid, Su Linlin threw the skewer into the trash can and walked over, looking at the fruit stall. The colors were vibrant, and there was a wide variety of fruit, all looking fresh.

“I’ll buy some. I’ll buy some. I feel like eating pineapple.”

Li Jiao took the paid fruits and stood aside, waiting with Zhang Yue for Su Linlin.

As they waited, they suddenly heard a commotion not far away, presumably a quarrel.

Li Jiao turned to look, and in front of a sushi restaurant, a crowd had gathered.

Zhang Yue tiptoed and craned her neck to see.

“What’s going on over there—a quarrel or a fight?”

Su Linlin, holding the fruits, came running excitedly.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go take a look.”

She liked to watch the excitement, so upon encountering this scene, she naturally couldn’t miss it.

As they spoke, they had already walked outside the crowd of onlookers.

Li Jiao and Zhang Yue had to hurry to keep up.

Pushing through the layers of people, in the middle, there was one woman and four men arguing.

The woman, Li Jiao, and her friends recognized, she was an acquaintance.

“Tang Yuran?”

Zhang Yue, who followed closely behind, frowned upon seeing the girl in the middle.

Su Linlin also had a strange expression on her face. “She’s usually so arrogant, and now she’s actually arguing with someone on the street?”

Li Jiao was even more bewildered. Looking at the girl in the middle with her cold phoenix eyes, high-necked posture, high ponytail, and dressed in a white dress, who else could it be but Tang Yuran?

They weren’t familiar with Tang Yuran in normal times, nor did they have much contact with her. Previously, Zhang Yue couldn’t stand her haughty attitude. She never helped with anything in the dorm, and even scolded her a few times.

Of course, Tang Yuran didn’t respond, which made Zhang Yue even more furious.

Now that they had encountered her arguing with someone else, the three of them were a bit hesitant about whether to approach.

Right in front of a sushi restaurant, Tang Yuran still held the sushi she had just bought. Although she wore a white dress, she looked particularly imposing. Her cold eyes stared at the boy in front of her.

“Move aside!”

“Hmph.”

The boy wore a black short-sleeve shirt with a hint of hostility in his eyes. Upon hearing this, he sneered.

“Tang Yuran, what the hell are you pretending to be?”

“A cold goddess in front of people, but a green tea bitch behind their backs?”

Tang Yuran impatiently turned her eyes away, unwilling to talk to him.

But the boy continued relentlessly.

“I’ve asked you out so many times, and you’ve never agreed once. I thought you were just aloof, but what’s the truth?”

“You actually got off Zhang Jue’s car. That’s when I realized you’re not aloof at all. You’re obviously just interested in Zhang Jue because he’s richer than me!”

“Damn it! You stinky bitch!”

After saying that, the boy viciously spat at her.

The people around him, hearing his words, murmured quietly.

“Really? She doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

“People can be deceiving.”

“Maybe he’s just upset because she didn’t agree to his advances.”

“That girl is quite pretty. It’s a shame if she’s really that kind of person.”

“…………”

After hearing the boy’s words, Zhang Yue was speechless. “Is that guy the one who was pursuing Tang Yuran before?”

Su Linlin looked closely and nodded.

“It seems so.”

In the center of the crowd, Tang Yuran didn’t respond to the boy’s words, her brows furrowing in annoyance as she looked at him coldly.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

With that, she lifted her foot to leave.

The boy reached out to stop her. “Hey, don’t leave so soon.”

“You dare to do this, yet you’re afraid of me talking?”

Tang Yuran snapped, “Get lost!”

Her shout angered the boy, who grabbed her wrist fiercely and threateningly.

“Tang Yuran, let me tell you, if you don’t explain yourself today, you won’t leave!”

“Let go of me! Let go!”

Tang Yuran’s strength couldn’t match the boy’s. She struggled a few times but couldn’t break free, and the sushi in her hand fell to the ground.

Li Jiao and her friends saw this and couldn’t help but feel worried. Although they weren’t close to Tang Yuran, she was still their roommate. Moreover, Tang Yuran was so proud; it couldn’t be possible for her to do something like this.

“Boss, Linlin, should we go help her?” Li Jiao suggested.

Upon hearing this, Su Linlin glanced at Zhang Yue beside her, who seemed to be hesitating, feeling someone’s gaze on her.

Turning her head, “Why are you looking at me? Although I don’t get along with that peacock, it’s not like I wouldn’t help if someone was in trouble.”

“Tang Yuran, I’m telling you, you must explain things to me today!”

“Li Ze, let go of me, let go!”

In the crowd, Tang Yuran continued to struggle against the guy named Li Ze, who refused to release her.

“Hey, you’re a guy, are you even ashamed to bully a girl?”

In the midst of the commotion, Li Jiao and her friends ran over. Zhang Yue was strong; she immediately pulled Li Ze away, looking disdainfully at him.

“Yuran, are you okay?”

“Tang Yuran, are you okay?”

Tang Yuran, holding her wrist which had turned red from being grabbed, looked at Li Jiao and Su Linlin who had suddenly appeared beside her. Clearly, she hadn’t expected them to be there, let alone come over to help.

She pursed her lips and shook her head.