Chapter 68 Sharing a Table

As the two of them were scanning the room, someone at the innermost table waved at them, “Over here!”

Chen Ciyi and Xu Yannuo turned to look. It was that guy named Wang Sinan—the same one who had come with Chen Ciyi back when they were on bad terms, during the incident when his hair got cut. Sitting beside him was someone they hadn’t met before, but judging by his demeanor and aura, birds of a feather flock together. They were clearly part of the same group, and undoubtedly hung out often and knew each other well.

Chen Ciyi didn’t respond; he clearly saw her but pretended not to. Xu Yannuo was speechless. They were clearly acquaintances, so why pretend not to see each other? Was he afraid others would ask why he was with her? After all, the last time they met, they were practically enemies. That part was understandable, but if he was going to pretend, he could at least do it convincingly. Desk mate, where’s your acting skills?

Just as Xu Yannuo was internally complaining, Chen Ciyi suddenly turned his head and leaned in closer to her. “Mind sitting with them?”

Huh? So it wasn’t about being questioned—he was considering her feelings?

Xu Yannuo suddenly felt touched. She was rarely cared for by others; forget being cared for, she hadn’t even had friends around. So, being cared for like this all of a sudden, she couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling. It felt like more than just being moved, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it—it just felt really warm.

She looked at Chen Ciyi in slight surprise, then shook her head, “I don’t mind.”

Chen Ciyi nodded, “Alright then.” After that, as if he had just noticed the two people enthusiastically waving—now waving like beckoning cats—he waved back and walked over in their direction.

Just as he reached the table but hadn’t sat down yet, the unnamed guy asked, “Bro, my dear bro, what were you hesitating for at the door? The place is packed—if we hadn’t grabbed this table in time, we wouldn’t have been able to share one. Good thing we came at the right moment.”

He and Wang Sinan had indeed arrived at the perfect time. When they got there, only this last empty table remained. They had just sat down to claim it without even ordering yet when the two girls walked in, making their presence today seem especially valuable and useful.

Wang Sinan asked everyone what they wanted to eat. Actually, it wasn’t really asking everyone—he already knew what Chen Ciyi and Zhang Zhao usually ate. The question was mainly for Xu Yannuo.

Xu Yannuo glanced at Wang Sinan, “I’m not picky, just order whatever you think is good.”

Actually, she liked their cappuccino—sweet in taste—and was genuinely indifferent about the simple meal options, because fast food like this pretty much tasted the same no matter what; the soul of it was mainly in the sauce. But since she wasn’t close with Wang Sinan, she felt too shy to order directly. Plus, the shop often had promotions like “second item half-off” or “member discounts on certain drinks.” By saying she wasn’t picky, it allowed the other person to order based on the available deals, rather than spending extra just to accommodate her.

After Wang Sinan left, before Chen Ci could even introduce them, the boy who was meeting Xu Yannuo for the first time looked her over. There was none of the awkwardness one might expect when meeting someone new; instead, it felt more like he was observing a rare animal, sizing her up with a sense of wonder. Though he didn’t say a word, Xu Yannuo could almost read the monologue in his gaze: “So this is her? She doesn’t seem all that extraordinary, but this girl is really something.”

Xu Yannuo was somewhat speechless, but fortunately, this guy seemed well-mannered. Though his gaze was direct, it didn’t make anyone uncomfortable, and his looks weren’t unpleasant either. If it weren’t for that, given the way he was sizing people up, he’d probably get beaten eight times a day.

However, she could also tell that she didn’t know this guy, but he must have heard about her through some channel—he likely already knew who she was. Otherwise, his eyes wouldn’t have revealed such an internal monologue.

But there’s no need to stare like that!

Chen Ciyi gave Zhang Zhao a speechless glance. “Keep your eyes to yourself!” Asking for a beating?

The guy across the table let out an “oh” and introduced himself to Xu Yannuo. “Sorry about that, I’m Zhang Zhao. Chen Ciyi’s former high school classmate and good buddy.”

“No worries, hi, Xu Yannuo.” Xu Yannuo nodded slightly in greeting.

“How did you two get here?” Chen Ci asked Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao had already withdrawn his gaze from Xu Yannuo and looked at Chen Ciyi. “I didn’t have much to do in the afternoon, so I thought I’d go play in the music room for a bit. I left a little early to grab a meal here, and I heard they’ve released a new summer-limited drink—perfect timing to try it out.”

嗯，的確是出了，早上陳辭一已經買過了，還挺好喝。

Afterwards, Wang Sinan and Zhang Zhao chatted for a bit longer, and then Wang Sinan returned with her tray. Somewhat disappointedly, she delivered what could be considered bad news—though not exactly catastrophic—that the summer-limited special had sold out too quickly and was now gone.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao was clearly disappointed, his eyes drooping like a sad puppy’s. “Ah, why so soon?”

Xu Yannuo couldn’t help but lower her head and chuckle, then glanced sideways at Chen Ciyi. His expression remained unchanged, still looking quite cheerful—which made sense, since the two of them had already had their morning coffee together.

Noticing her gaze, Chen Ciyi also turned to look at her, leaning in slightly to whisper, “What’s up?”

Actually, it’s nothing, but at this moment, it feels like the two of them are whispering some little secret. Xu Yannuo shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

Chen Ciyi let out an “Mhm,” then, as Wang Sinan set down the tray, he reached over to pick out the cappuccino Xu Yannuo liked and placed it in front of her. Next, he took the hot chocolate for himself, along with two sandwiches without pickles, also setting them in front of Xu Yannuo. As for the rest, he didn’t bother—whether they liked it spicy or not, tasty or not, he couldn’t care less about what the two of them ate.

After Chen Ci finished taking his drinks, Zhang Zhao seemed to have just emerged from the sorrow of not getting the summer-limited new product. He picked up the remaining two beverages, glanced at them, and then looked even more dejected. “Fine, no new product, but you give me Americano? Don’t I deserve a cappuccino? Are you trying to kill me with bitterness?”

Wang Sinan was taken aback for a moment, “I ordered a cappuccino though.”

Just as Wang Sinan was about to reach for the remaining two cups to check, Xu Yannuo suddenly felt awkward. Chen Ciyi directly interrupted him, “No need to check, I gave the cappuccino to Xu Yannuo.”

Wang Sinan stopped what she was doing, picked up one of the Americanos, and looked at Zhang Zhao. “I do love Americano. Why don’t you discuss it with her and swap?”

Zhang Zhao glanced at Chen Ciyi, then immediately broke into a bright, unapologetic smile and said firmly, “I’m not swapping.” After a moment, he added in his mind, just as firmly, I don’t dare! “I just love Americano. Cappuccino is too sweet for me.”

After that, lunch began in a pleasant atmosphere. Whether others were happy or not was unknown, but Xu Yannuo was certainly quite happy.