Меmоriеs of the раst surfасеd in her mind, making it a bit diffiсult tо fall aslеep. Wu Маngmаng ореned WeСhat to scroll through her friеnds' uрdatеs. Long Хiujuаn wаs оncе аgаin shоwing оff the сharity banquеt shе attеnded last night, boаsting about hоw all the сitу's big shоts hаd gаthеrеd and variоus industrу leаdеrs gеnerоusly dоnаted, and sо оn.
Lu Sui had wоn the bid for the nеw work "Powеr" bу а famоus modern sculрtоr аt a рriсе оf tеn milliоn, and sо-аnd-so hаd aсquired the рainting "Sunflоwеrs" bу a сеrtаin rеnowned direсtor, and so forth.
Thе introduction wаs truly detаiled. Lоng Хiujuan wаs now a much more popular Weibo influencer than Wu Mangmang had ever been, because she seemed to have opened a small window for ordinary people who enjoyed peeking into the unseen upper class.
Wu Mangmang turned off her screen, thinking to herself that tomorrow she would finally not have to see Lu Sui anymore. Just the thought of him gave her immense pressure.
Early in the morning, she still had classes. As Wu Mangmang, Zeng Ruling, and their roommate Dai Tingting had just stepped downstairs, they saw Lu Sui standing across from the building.
Lu Sui was holding several brownish-yellow paper bags in his hand. Upon closer inspection, they were indeed printed with the logo of a famous fast-food chain, a popular spot for many to buy breakfast.
"Didn't you promise yesterday not to bring breakfast anymore?" Wu Mangmang accused, looking at Lu Sui.
To be honest, when Guo Xuefeng brought breakfast, Wu Mangmang hadn't felt there was any problem with it at all. But when it came to Lu Sui doing the same thing, she found it utterly incongruous no matter how she looked at it. It felt like knowing a big bad wolf was pretending to be a little lamb but being unable to expose him.
"It's not for you," Lu Sui said, handing two paper bags to Zeng Ruling and Dai Tingting.
Zeng Ruling opened hers and exclaimed, "Wow, it's my favorite soy milk and fried dough sticks, plus a French-style pancake sandwich. Thanks, brother-in-law!"
Dai Tingting was more reserved and shy, simply murmuring a soft "thank you."
With their hands softened by the gift, Zeng Ruling, after receiving her breakfast, immediately dragged Dai Tingting away. "Let's go, we shouldn't be third wheels."
Wu Mangmang felt that Zeng Ruling truly had no principles. Back then, for the sake of a free breakfast, she had advised Wu Mangmang not to accept Guo Xuefeng's pursuit right away. Now, for another breakfast, she had sold her out.
Wu Mangmang looked at the remaining paper bag in Lu Sui's hand, raising an eyebrow without saying a word.
"Don't worry, I didn't break my promise. This is my breakfast," Lu Sui said.
At this moment, not breaking the promise seemed even more detestable than breaking it. Wu Mangmang felt a slight pain in her stomach.
"Why are you here again? Weren't you..." At this point, Wu Mangmang quickly stopped herself, nearly letting it slip and making it seem as though she was very concerned about Lu Sui's whereabouts.
"I rushed over after the banquet ended last night," Lu Sui said with a smile.
Wu Mangmang narrowed her eyes at Lu Sui. People, sometimes being too clever was particularly troublesome.
"Well, enjoy your breakfast slowly. I'm in a hurry," Wu Mangmang said, turning to run. In the early morning, there were plenty of students running on campus, so she didn't stand out too much.
Although Wu Mangmang's legs weren't short, Lu Sui always managed to keep pace with her effortlessly. Moreover, dressed in sportswear, Lu Sui looked far more suited for running than Wu Mangmang in her jeans.
"Haven't you exercised in a while? You're already panting after just a few steps?" Lu Sui spoke without even a hint of breathlessness.Wu Mangmang was so infuriated by Lu Sui's words that she choked on her breath, dejectedly coming to a stop. She wanted to scold Lu Sui a few times, but her mind involuntarily recalled Zeng Ruling's words from last night, making her feel less justified when facing Lu Sui.
Although her attitude had softened, Wu Mangmang's determination remained completely unchanged. Some issues couldn't be resolved through proper communication—they were psychological problems.
Wu Mangmang turned a corner and went to a bakery to buy a pork floss bun and a carton of milk. Breakfast wasn't allowed inside the teaching building. Although it wasn't strictly enforced, Wu Mangmang was a good student who never broke the rules.
So she went to sit on a bench in the garden in front of the building. Lu Sui sat down beside her, and Wu Mangmang jumped up as if bitten, stomping over to sit on the bench to the right. The action might have been childish, but so be it.
This time, Lu Sui didn't follow. Wu Mangmang glanced sideways and saw him taking a thermal lunchbox and a thermos from a paper bag.
The garden wasn't large, with only two or three benches. When a young couple walked in carrying breakfast, they glanced at Wu Mangmang and then at Lu Sui. The girl, bolder, approached Wu Mangmang and said, "Classmate, could you please go sit over there?"
The use of "please" made Wu Mangmang feel too embarrassed to refuse. After all, they were all students at the same school, and helping each other was only natural, especially with such a small matter. Hindering someone's romance was quite immoral.
Just as Wu Mangmang was about to gather her breakfast, she heard Lu Sui say, "You two can sit over here." Lu Sui naturally walked over and sat down beside Wu Mangmang.
This made it convenient for Wu Mangmang to inspect Lu Sui's lunchbox. Inside were colorful sushi rolls. Wu Mangmang had always been obsessed with rice, preferring it over Western food, and bread was definitely not her favorite. Watching Lu Sui eat sushi and drink her milk, her "resentment" bubbled up inside.
Lu Sui was doing this on purpose! He didn't even like this kind of breakfast. Back at the Lu residence, he always had coffee and maple syrup pancakes. Sushi and milk were Wu Mangmang's style.
"Childish!" Wu Mangmang muttered under her breath at Lu Sui.
"Want some? I can share with you," Lu Sui generously offered, holding the lunchbox out to Wu Mangmang.
Wu Mangmang wore an expression of refusing "charity," turning her head away to continue nibbling on her bun.
"Why aren't you riding your bike today?" Wu Mangmang asked.
"Lost it," Lu Sui replied indifferently.
Wu Mangmang thought to herself that she had predicted this. "New bikes are easily stolen."
Lu Sui glanced at her with a smile, and Wu Mangmang realized she had spoken too much. Why did she care about his bike?
Hurriedly finishing her bun, Wu Mangmang patted her hands and stood up. The young couple beside them also stood up. As the boy passed by Wu Mangmang and Lu Sui, he couldn't help but complain, "If you know each other, just sit together."
His girlfriend, more reasonable, tugged him forcefully toward the teaching building.
Wu Mangmang turned to look at Lu Sui. This guy was still smiling.For the next week, Wu Mangmang watched Lu Sui bring breakfast to Zeng Ruling and Dai Tingting every day, driving her to the brink of insanity as she began to wonder if Lu Sui was actually pursuing her roommate.
Wu Mangmang felt increasingly sidelined, and Zeng Ruling only added fuel to the fire by saying she had brought it upon herself. "If he brings you breakfast, just eat it. You refused, and now you're jealous of Tingting and me. Mangmang, your moral character really needs some work."
Wu Mangmang was so angry she could only laugh.
Over the weekend, Zeng Ruling went downstairs to pick up the breakfast. As soon as she opened it, she exclaimed with delight. Inside were various Cantonese-style pastries: durian puffs, chestnut puffs, foie gras puffs, yam and pine nut dumplings, and thousand-layer radish puffs. Just looking at them made one's mouth water.
The thousand-layer radish puffs were Wu Mangmang's absolute favorite. She noticed the packaging on the box—it was from the most famous Cantonese dim sum restaurant in City A.
"How strange, they taste so fresh, as if they just came out of the oven. But Daotian Ji isn't open yet," Zeng Ruling muttered. "Mangmang, it seems your ex-boyfriend is quite resourceful."
Wu Mangmang remained silent, only to hear Zeng Ruling add, "Huh, this congee smells amazing. It doesn't taste like Daotian Ji's. So strange, where did he buy it? It's so delicious."
Dai Tingting nodded repeatedly. "I think it's delicious too. It must have been simmered for a long time. Mangmang, do you want to try some?"
Wu Mangmang shook her head, but moments later, her curiosity got the better of her. She picked up a spoon and tasted the congee—it had Lu Sui's signature flavor.
Wu Mangmang put down the spoon, unsure of what she was feeling. It seemed like she was particularly angry, as if something that had once belonged only to her was now being shared with others. A sense of loss and jealousy followed, catching her off guard.
For a moment, Wu Mangmang even felt the urge to flip the table.
The impulse was so ugly and frightening that when Dai Tingting said, "Let me serve you a bowl," Wu Mangmang was too stunned to react.
A moment later, Wu Mangmang picked up her bag and said, "You two enjoy. I'm heading out."
Zeng Ruling called out to Wu Mangmang, who had already fled to the door. "Hey, Wu Mangmang, let me tell you, you're just making things worse. The more you act like this, the faster you'll ruin things. Good men are rare these days. Do you think he'll just wait around for you forever? Take Li Tong next door—she's been changing outfits every day this week, going out on time just to 'accidentally' run into your Mr. Lu. If you're determined to reject him, say it now so I can compete fairly with Li Tong."
Wu Mangmang paused, turned back, and said, "Then go ahead and compete fairly with Li Tong."
"Hey, you..." Zeng Ruling was so angry she stomped her feet, complaining to Dai Tingting, "It's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is dying of anxiety."
Dai Tingting laughed. "Just eat your food. With someone like Li Tong, Lu Sui definitely wouldn't be interested."
Wu Mangmang's mind was a mess as she left.
That malicious impulse felt familiar, reminiscent of the possessiveness she had felt toward that person in high school. Back then, she couldn't even stand him glancing at other girls, fearing that he would discover how flawed she was and turn his affection elsewhere.
Looking back now, Wu Mangmang found her younger self ridiculous and laughable. Whether someone stays or leaves isn't determined by how much you care—sometimes, the more you cling, the faster they slip away.Wu Mangmang knew she lacked the courage to go through that kind of emotion again.
She was well aware of her own ingratitude. What seemed like an obvious choice to others simply couldn’t cross the threshold in her heart—it was all in vain.
Those who had been hurt would only wrap themselves in a cocoon, afraid to stick their heads out again. Of course, there were also those who remained naive despite weathering countless storms, but such people probably had nerves as thick as the sewers of Paris.
By the time Wu Mangmang looked up, she had already reached the cafeteria entrance. Food was the people’s heaven, and her stomach was clearly hungry.
She got a bowl of congee and bought a cup of milk, using the milk to wash down the congee—a unique Wu family eating method.
The cafeteria was sparsely populated at the moment. Wu Mangmang chose a seat by the window and had just inserted the straw into the milk cup when she saw Lu Sui sit down opposite her.
This person always managed to bring out her darkest side. Wu Mangmang simply lowered her eyelids, pretending not to see him.
“There seems to be some oil left on the spoon that wasn’t washed off,” Lu Sui remarked.
Although Wu Mangmang really didn’t want to engage with Lu Sui, she couldn’t help but glance at the spoon she had used to scoop the congee. It did feel a bit greasy, instantly killing her appetite.
Wu Mangmang pushed the congee bowl away and said to Lu Sui, “Has your company gone bankrupt? Is that why you’re so free all day long?”
After saying this, she put on a mocking expression and added, “But it doesn’t matter. The congee smells so good—even if you’re unemployed, you could open a congee shop. I’m sure plenty of young girls would support you.”
Lu Sui raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. Seeing this, Wu Mangmang regretted not holding her tongue. Her words had sounded too sour—how embarrassing.
“And who am I doing all this for, young lady?” Lu Sui laughed.
“Definitely not for me,” Wu Mangmang retorted stubbornly. She hadn’t been softened by anyone’s favors.
How could Lu Sui not know what was on Wu Mangmang’s mind? He just didn’t expose it, or else the person in front of him would surely fly into a rage out of shame.
“Let’s go eat,” Lu Sui stood up. “It’s fine to fight against anything, but don’t fight against your own health. That’s just foolish.”
Wu Mangmang didn’t put on any more airs. She stood up and said, “Do I even have any IQ in your eyes?”
Lu Sui burst out laughing. “What do you think?”
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