Chapter 4: Yaoxing Academy 4 Part 2

“Don’t block the way. I’m starving right now.” Xun Ji pushed him aside and headed straight for the Cafeteria.

He couldn’t avoid it anyway, so better to eat first.

Lu Zhou said nothing more and silently followed. Lin Yule eyed him curiously, fidgeting as he circled from left to right, then right to left.

Luo Xunan seemed to have come out of worry for Lu Zhou and had been peeking around. Now that everyone was leaving, he hurriedly followed too.

Yaoxing Academy’s Cafeteria was extremely luxurious. Not only did its decor rival high-end restaurants, but the variety of dishes was also abundant, all prepared by renowned chefs from various regions hired at high salaries for the students.

Since transmigrating, sampling every window’s offerings one by one had become one of Xun Ji’s joys in school life.

Today, he continued his gourmet plan and approached a window he hadn’t tried yet. The neatly lined queue dispersed upon seeing Xun Ji, making way for him.

“Good day, Young Master Xun!”

“Young Master Xun, please go ahead.”

Being the School Bully meant being forced to do bad things, but it had perks sometimes. Xun Ji unceremoniously passed through the crowd and stood boldly at the front of the line.

Lin Yule naturally didn’t stand on ceremony either and stood right behind him. Lu Zhou and Luo Xunan hesitated, clearly unused to openly cutting in line.

Seeing Lu Zhou’s hesitant look, Xun Ji’s mind stirred. He beckoned with his hand.

“Here, boy, here.”

The surrounding crowd immediately drew their attention to the dog-whistling gesture and turned to look at Lu Zhou.

Lu Zhou’s body stiffened as the blond Little Young Master a few steps away grinned at him: “It’s crowded here, Little Dog. Better stick close to your Master.”

【Ding! Daily Task completed: Humiliate the Protagonist. Reward: 10 Points.】

Xun Ji felt satisfied. He couldn’t escape the Protagonist’s revenge today anyway—might as well knock out a Daily Task first.

Ignoring the gasps and squeals around him, Xun Ji carried his full tray and walked away. Lin Yule stuck close to Xun Ji and sat at a round table. He shoved a mouthful of rice into his mouth and said with interest, “A Xun, that Poor Kid looks different from Yan Feng and the others. He doesn’t seem like the obedient dog type.”

Recalling Yan Feng’s snotty, teary mess on the Sea Island, Xun Ji felt a twinge of disgust: “I don’t keep just any dog.”

“Bang!”

A tray slammed heavily onto the table. Lu Zhou sat down one seat away from Xun Ji. Luo Xunan glanced left and right before cautiously taking the seat farthest from Xun Ji.

Lin Yule scanned the empty tables around and asked oddly, “Little Poor Ghost, A Xun was just joking. You’re not holding a grudge, are you?”

Besides Lin Yule himself, no one in this school dared eat at the same table as Xun Ji.

Lu Zhou’s face was expressionless: “Young Master Xun told me to stick close, so I will.”

He was holding a grudge, alright. Xun Ji grumbled inwardly. After all, he was the dark novel Protagonist who ruined the Xun Conglomerate and tormented the villains to death in the original book.

“Lu Zhou, don’t take it too seriously.” Luo Xunan seemed afraid Lu Zhou would anger the Little Young Master and advised softly, “Young Master Xun isn’t as bad as the rumors say… He’s actually pretty nice.”

“Oh? Is that so.” Lu Zhou picked up a slice of potato from his tray. Compared to the other three’s lavish meals, Lu Zhou’s tray looked sparse.

“Where’s he nice?”

Luo Xunan hesitated before speaking: “He… he cares about the environment, is enthusiastic about charity… and his grilled oysters are delicious!”

Xun Ji, jolted by the sour fish soup, frowned speechlessly at him. If you can’t praise, don’t force it.

Luo Xunan shuddered under the gaze, buried his head, and scarfed down his rice, minimizing his presence.

“Too sour.” Xun Ji pushed the fish soup toward Lin Yule.

Lin Yule shook his head repeatedly: “I don’t like fish.”

Xun Ji glanced at Luo Xunan, who sat far away, and casually pushed the fish soup toward Lu Zhou.

“You eat it.”

It wasn’t to his taste, but wasting food was shameful—he couldn’t just dump it.

Lu Zhou’s hand tightened on his chopsticks. Was this another way to humiliate him?

The fish soup looked appetizing: creamy white broth filled with tender white fish chunks, and at the bottom, rich accompaniments like sour bamboo shoots, salted pork, tofu, and fried eggs.

Lu Zhou took a spoonful. It was very fresh; the subtle sourness from the bamboo shoots perfectly enhanced the soup’s umami. It wasn’t “too sour” at all as Xun Ji claimed.

He silently finished the fish soup, spoonful by spoonful.

Lin Yule watched with amusement and struck up a conversation: “Lu Zhou, I heard the school made an exception and issued your Scholarship early, but the condition is you bring back a gold medal from the national Physics Competition at year’s end. Is that true?”

Mentioning the sore spot. Xun Ji shot him a glare. Lu Zhou’s Scholarship had already been snatched by his gambling dad.

Lu Zhou paused silently before replying softly: “Yes.”

Lin Yule tsked twice: “Our school focuses on finance and management. We’ve never done Physics Competitions—probably don’t even have a teacher who can coach it. The Principal sold you out just for face.”

“Exactly.” Luo Xunan couldn’t help chiming in. “Saying if you don’t get gold, you have to return the Scholarship—too much.”

“How do you know?” Xun Ji kept eating casually, asking offhandedly.

“I went to the Principal’s office that day and overheard…” Luo Xunan trailed off awkwardly.

“That day, you accidentally let slip about Lu Zhou getting the Scholarship, worried I’d go after him, so you ran to the Principal’s office to help and heard those words, right?”

Xun Ji lifted his eyelids to glance at him. Luo Xunan swallowed.

“Young Master Xun, I didn’t…”

“Luo Xunan,” Xun Ji set down his chopsticks, “why do you care so much about Lu Zhou?”