Jiang Xu knew that An Nuonuo's pride was fragile.
She wouldn't accept it if he directly offered her lunch.
So he put up this act.
Under the sincere gaze of Jiang Xu, An Nuonuo hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
Softly, she asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"Four yuan."
"Oh, okay."
An Nuonuo pulled a few pieces of paper money out of her pocket.
A two-yuan note, a one-yuan note, and two fifty-cent coins.
Jiang Xu didn't hesitate to accept it.
An Nuonuo gave a slight smile.
Upon opening the lid, the aroma filled her nostrils.
A dish of fish-flavored shredded pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a piece of fried fish, and some green vegetables.
An Nuonuo's nose twitched as her stomach unconsciously rumbled.
It smelled so good.
Though four yuan was somewhat expensive, occasionally splurging like this was acceptable.
She ate bite by bite.
Jiang Xu observed that she ate the rice and green vegetables first, leaving the meat until the end.
He couldn't help but sigh at the saying, "Different folks, different strokes."
He remembered how he used to serve lunch for Zhou Qingyue.
She wouldn't eat meat that was too lean or too fat; it had to be marbled. She didn't eat water spinach or bitter melon, only a few kinds like tomatoes and cucumbers.
Half of a serving of food would be wasted.
Unlike An Nuonuo, who ate all her food cleanly.
No picky eating at all.
An Nuonuo gently touched her slightly bulging stomach.
It had been a long time since she had experienced the feeling of being full.
Her body was warm and she felt energized.
Then An Nuonuo noticed Jiang Xu's heated gaze.
She was a bit overwhelmed.
"Um, I'm going to wash the lunch boxes..."
After finishing her sentence, she picked up the two lunch boxes and hurriedly left.
Watching her retreating form, Jiang Xu chuckled to himself, "My wife is so adorable."
"Today's food was terrible."
On the way back, Zhou Qingyue was complaining constantly.
The line was too long.
By the time it was her turn, the food was cold.
Before, Jiang Xu always got her food for her, when it was still hot and at its best.
That was when it tasted the best.
Li Honghong thought to herself that it wasn't his fault that she had made things difficult for herself.
As Zhou Qingyue's desk mate,
when Jiang Xu used to get food or buy snacks and milk tea, he would always bring her something as well.
Now that Jiang Xu no longer did that, she lost an extra perk.
"Hey, look, isn't that An Nuonuo? What's she carrying..." Li Honghong noticed An Nuonuo.
Zhou Qingyue's gaze focused sharply.
She also noticed the lunch box in An Nuonuo's hand.
She recognized it instantly; it was Jiang Xu's.
One of them was even the one she used exclusively before.
Zhou Qingyue's face fell.
It felt as if something that belonged to her had been taken away.
She stopped An Nuonuo, who was walking with her head down.
"Ah...Zhou...Zhou..."
An Nuonuo almost bumped into her in surprise.
Zhou Qingyue's eyes were blazing with anger, "Why do you have Jiang Xu's lunch box?"
"I..." An Nuonuo was somewhat flustered, uncertain how to explain.
Li Honghong jumped in, "An Nuonuo, I hope you have some self-awareness."
Don't you really think that Jiang Xu would like someone like you who has average looks, common academic performance, and a poor family background, do you?
Jiang Xu getting close to you is just to annoy Zhou Qingyue, that's all.
Don't get too carried away."
An Nuonuo was biting her bottom lip slightly, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
Not being good with words, she didn't know how to explain herself.
Zhou Qingyue commanded in an authoritarian tone, "Clean the lunch box and give it to me!"
An Nuonuo didn't dare to fight back.
Because of her family circumstances, she had low self-esteem.
After washing the food tray in the dining hall, she handed it over to Zhou Qingyue.
Zhou Qingyue, holding the food tray, walked confidently into the classroom.
She walked over to Jiang Xu.
Putting the food tray on his desk, she said with a coy attitude, "I saw An Nuonuo not washing it properly in the dining hall.
So, I cleaned it myself for you."
From the corner of her eye, she was always watching Jiang Xu.
She thought to herself, I've personally washed your dishware.
At this point, you would surely be very touched."
"Huh?" Jiang Xu was suspicious.
An Nuonuo didn't seem to be the person she described.
At this time, Jiang Xu noticed An Nuonuo enter the classroom with her head lowered.
She sat in her place without uttering a word.
Jiang Xu had an idea of what might be happening.
He stood up, looking at Zhou Qingyue. "You washed this tray?"
Zhou Qingyue's face color was slightly unnatural.
However, she still stubbornly replied, "Of course!"
Jiang Xu suddenly grabbed Zhou Qingyue's hand.
Zhou Qingyue was startled.
She instinctively wanted to pull her hand away.
But then thought given Jiang Xu had been 'moody' of late,
She thought to herself,
let him take advantage.
Then...
she saw Jiang Xu holding Zhou Qingyue's hand, bringing it to his nose to smell.
Li Honghong was shocked.
One must give recognition where it's due, despite a short absence of three days!
An Nuonuo's eyes became dim.
It seemed that what Li Honghong had just said was indeed true.
She was just a tool Jiang Xu used to irritate Zhou Qingyue.
Zhou Qingyue's face was also flushed, "Jiang Xu, how can you be so frivolous?"
She forcibly pulled her hand back.
But what Jiang Xu said next turned her pale.
"You claim you washed this, but there's no scent of detergent on your hand, who are you trying to fool?"
"I..." Zhou Qingyue began to argue but was interrupted by Jiang Xu,
"An Nuonuo was intercepted by you on the way,
then you took her food tray away, claiming it as your merit, right?
Don't you find such behavior disgusting and despicable?"
Zhou Qingyue's eyes reddened instantly, "Are you insulting me?"
Make unfounded countercharges, use others' strength to beat them.
Li Honghong chimed in, "It was Zhou Qingyue who washed Jiang Xu's food tray, definitely! I can testify.
If she has no detergent scent on her hand, that's because she washes her hands often.
If you don't believe me, ask An Nuonuo, right?"
After speaking, she looked at An Nuonuo with a warning glance.
What could An Nuonuo say? She could only nod in agreement.
Jiang Xu heaved a silent sigh.
Since the person involved was like this, there was nothing more he could say.
He sat back down.
Waving his hand at Zhou Qingyue, he said, "Get away, don't bother me."
Zhou Qingyue, her tears fell, "Jiang Xu, I hate you, I'll never speak to you in this lifetime!"
Fortunately, there were no other students in the class at this time, otherwise there would have been a lot of gossip.
Jiang Xu looked at the low-spirited An Nuonuo.
He whispered in her ear, "Don't be upset. I'll avenge you in the afternoon."
"Huh?" An Nuonuo was confused.
The first class in the afternoon was math.
The math teacher was very strict.
Despite being good-looking, she had a nickname, The Terrifying Beauty.
But her class was quite boring; many students couldn't keep up.
So, they would tend to be mischievous.
At this time, Jiang Xu noticed Zhou Qingyue and Li Honghong were secretly reading a novel.
Jiang Xu immediately raised his hand and stood up, "Teacher, I report Zhou Qingyue and Li Honghong for reading novels in class!"