Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 155: The First Bite Is for You, Don’t Say I’m Not Generous.
’After all, compared to the already independent Zhou Mochen, Xi Zirong is only eighteen. How can he be so calm and composed about everything?’
June arrived, and with it, another year’s Gaokao. Building on last year’s experience, the teachers were so busy they were hardly seen, a fact the students had come to accept as perfectly normal.
They had finished the entire three-year high school curriculum as early as two months prior, and had been in the review phase ever since.
There were frequent in-class quizzes, after which the teachers would focus on going over the mistakes.
Consolidation and review were the name of the game.
Summer vacation was just around the corner, and as rising seniors, the students no longer held out any hope for a long break.
As far as Xu Su knew, last year’s seniors had only gotten a three-day break in total—it was more of a token gesture than a real vacation...
Worried about the summer break, Huang Feng made a special trip to the Rocket Class to chat with Xu Su. She sounded a little disappointed. "I’ve always wanted to visit your grandma’s place. If the break is short this time, will I still be able to go?"
She was a Chang City native, born and bred, and with no relatives in the country, she had never seen what the countryside was actually like.
Last summer, Huang Feng had called Xu Su from time to time. Hearing about her friend roaming free all over the mountains and fields, she had been incredibly envious. They had even made plans for her to go with Xu Su to her grandma’s house for a few days this summer.
Xu Su nodded. "My oldest cousin is having her wedding reception on July third. If we can make it, we should go together. I’m just worried the timing will conflict with when our school lets out for the break."
She was also frustrated, having no idea what day the summer break started or exactly how many days they would get.
Her aunt had called a few days ago, and Xu Su had promised she would definitely be there.
"Then I want to go too! I want to see the place where Susu grew up," Qian Jia chimed in from the side. She smiled, egging her on. "Why don’t you go ask Teacher Wu? You’re his star pupil. If you ask when summer break starts, he’ll probably tell you, right?"
Huang Feng asked, "God Xi is the class president. Wouldn’t he know something?"
At this, Xu Su raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Xi Zirong, who was a short distance away. He was resting with his head on his desk, so all she could see was the top of his thick hair.
Xu Su shook her head. "He hasn’t mentioned anything about it. I’ll ask him this afternoon. In any case, we’ll get at least a few days off for summer break. You can all just come home with me then. It would be even better if we could go to my oldest cousin’s wedding together."
Now that they were a bit older and understood social etiquette, Huang Feng hesitated. "Is it really okay for us to crash your oldest cousin’s wedding banquet? Should we give a red envelope or something?"
Qian Jia nodded beside her, also thinking it seemed a bit improper.
Xu Su waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about all that etiquette. My relatives on my grandma’s side are really hospitable. Just come with me. The more, the merrier."
And with that, the three of them finalized their plan.
The summer schedule had been revised. Classes now ended at five-thirty, evening self-study sessions started at seven, and school was dismissed at ten. Students who wanted to keep studying could stay in the classroom, while day students could leave campus after ten.
The lights in the academic building were never turned off. In the building for the graduating seniors across the way, the lights blazed until three or four in the morning. And now, the juniors were also starting to burn the midnight oil.
In fact, starting from the second semester of their junior year, the lights-out rule in the girls’ dorms had been canceled to make it easier for them to study.
After dinner in the cafeteria, Xu Su and Xi Zirong took a leisurely stroll off campus. At this hour, the snack shops near the school were bustling with activity.
Every few steps, they ran into classmates, most of whom were carrying bags of food and drinks.
This was the Rocket Class, after all. Of the fifty scholarship recipients in their entire grade, at least half were from their class, so most of the students had some spending money.
Even Qian Jia, who had scrimped on lunch money during her sophomore year to buy study materials, no longer had to worry about food expenses by her junior year.
Passing a small stall selling spicy fried potatoes, Xu Su stopped in her tracks. She grinned at Xi Zirong. "Buy me some. I want them extra spicy."
For the past few days, they had gone for a walk off-campus almost every evening, but this was the first time Xu Su had shown any interest in a street food stall.
Xi Zirong eyed the open-air stall, his gaze falling on the wok of oil that looked like it had been used countless times. He hesitated for a rare moment, but seeing how much his girlfriend wanted some, he went and ordered a portion anyway.
Holding a small bowl of potatoes coated in chili powder, Xu Su speared a piece with a toothpick and held it out to Xi Zirong’s mouth. She grinned. "The first bite is for you. Don’t say I’m not a good girlfriend."
"..." Xi Zirong paused for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
From eating with Xu Su every day, Xi Zirong had long since developed a tolerance for spicy food. However, even the spiciest dishes in the cafeteria had their limits.
Now, after one bite of the extra-spicy potato, the tip of his nose broke out in a sweat. He immediately grabbed Xu Su’s hand and pulled her toward a nearby milk tea shop.
His expression only eased after he took a long gulp of iced milk tea.
After a few bites, Xu Su also found the potatoes unbearably spicy. Hating the idea of wasting it, she prepared to eat more, but Xi Zirong stopped her.
He snatched the bowl from her. "This is too spicy. Don’t eat any more, or you’ll get a stomachache."
Xu Su: ".....Fine."
The remaining half bowl of potatoes ended up in the trash. Cradling her milk tea, Xu Su walked back toward the classroom with Xi Zirong. On the way, she finally remembered to ask him, "Do you know when summer break starts?"
Xi Zirong paused. "Teacher Wu hasn’t told me, but it’ll probably be in early July, right after final exams. Why?"
Xu Su briefly explained that Qian Jia and Huang Feng were planning to go back to the countryside with her for the summer, then added worriedly, "I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to my oldest cousin’s wedding on the third. My aunt even asked me to be a bridesmaid, but now I might not even be able to attend."
’Bridesmaid...’ 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Xi Zirong slowed his pace. "So, will you still be a bridesmaid? I mean, if you can make it to your cousin’s wedding."
"Of course. Bridesmaids in the countryside don’t need to rehearse any special talents or anything. You just carry a purse for my cousin and help her collect the red envelopes."
Having grown up in the countryside, Xu Su had been to many weddings and knew a thing or two about being a bridesmaid.
Xi Zirong asked, "Susu, can I go with you guys? If you think it would be weird for me to be the only guy, we could invite another male classmate. What about Xu Ran? He knows Qian Jia pretty well."
’He’d had this idea for a long time—to see the place where the girl he liked grew up, to walk the country paths she had walked, to see the traces of her childhood.’
’Maybe he could even see photos of her as a child...’
As Xi Zirong’s thoughts drifted, a wave of warmth spread through his chest. He pressed, "Can I? I’ll be really careful. I’ll absolutely keep my distance from you so your grandma and your family don’t suspect anything. We’ll just be regular classmates visiting for fun."
The more he spoke, the more feasible the idea seemed. He looked at Xu Su, his eyes full of anticipation.
