Yana, sensing his movements, turned around and sleepily asked, "Ryan, it's not even light out yet. Where are you going?"
"Be good. I have to go to the cafeteria to work. I'll see you later at school."
Ryan kissed her cheek again.
Hearing this, Yana was momentarily stunned. She then remembered that Ryan was well-known for being down-to-earth at school.
Smiling sweetly, she gave him a goodbye kiss, and after a passionate moment, she went back to sleep. Ryan quietly left.
Of course, their farewell kiss wasn't exactly innocent. He couldn't resist grabbing her breasts again and teasing her nipples, which left him walking out of her house with an obvious bulge that took a while to subside.
At five in the morning, the campus was still shrouded in darkness.
The streetlights had been turned off, making it somewhat dim, with only the students from the Physical Education department up early for their morning runs.
The campus had five dining halls scattered across different areas. Ryan worked part-time at the second dining hall, which was conveniently closer to him.
While his classmates mocked him for moving slop every day, they were unaware that Ryan also worked before the cafeteria even opened.
"Morning, Fatty!"
After greeting the hefty contractor who managed the dining hall, Ryan joined the other financially struggling students who came to work part-time.
This was the daily routine: while most students were still in their dreams, each dining hall had already begun preparing breakfast. Once breakfast was sold, they immediately started prepping ingredients for lunch.
College students served as cheap labor—simpler and more compliant than the workhorses in society. The competition between the five dining halls ensured the food was quite delicious.
Ryan and the other boys unloaded meat and vegetables from the delivery truck and carried them to the kitchen, handling all the heavy lifting.
Meanwhile, the girls worked alongside the kitchen staff, washing and chopping vegetables and steaming pre-made buns and dumplings.
After a flurry of activity, everything was ready by 7 a.m. It was then that Ryan informed Fatty he would no longer be working there.
Fatty didn't try to convince him to stay. After all, there was no shortage of students willing to work. With a laugh, he said, "Alright, I'll calculate your wages later and transfer them to you."
"Thanks, Fatty. I'll be heading off now."
After eating a bowl of noodles, Ryan also packed some breakfast for his roommates.
When he returned to the dormitory, Weston and Jason were already yawning and getting out of bed. Upon seeing the sumptuous breakfast, they immediately cheered, "Thanks for taking care of us, third!"
Sesame cakes and buns were the top sellers at the second dining hall, often selling out every day.
Paired with eggs and a bowl of soup, it was the perfect start to an energy-filled day.
After finishing their breakfast, the two roommates headed off to class. Their instructor, Yasmin, had given them a few days off, leaving Ryan alone in the dorm. With the fan on, he took a shower and then lay back on his bed, fiddling with his phone.
Looking at the numerous missed calls from Tina last night, Ryan felt a headache coming on, unsure of how to respond.
On top of that, there was a recent message from Lyla: "Ryan, are the food ready yet? There must be a long line of people waiting, right?"
This used to be part of his daily routine. Whenever Lyla sent a message, Ryan would immediately take the hint.
Under normal circumstances, the "simp" in Ryan would have felt a surge of excitement, believing his moment to shine had finally arrived.
Honey buns, sesame cakes, dumplings, sweet soy milk that girls loved—he would pack up a whole lot of them and march straight to their dormitory, inviting all the girls to enjoy breakfast together.
To put it nicely, this was his way of "loving everyone she cared about."
The girls accepted his efforts without hesitation, especially Tina, who took great pride in having such a devoted follower.
But now, Ryan didn't even want to reply to their messages. He closed the curtains and began thinking.
At the moment, there were only two people bound to him: Yana and Yasmin.
For Yana, he needed to find more opportunities to earn money and quickly increase her favorability to 95 to see what kind of reward it would unlock.
As for Yasmin, she was a more challenging case. Being a teacher at the school, they rarely interacted, and she wasn't around often.
To be honest, Ryan was just an average student—neither an academic achiever nor a troublemaker—so he didn't know much about her.
Trying to earn money through her was a headache; he didn't even know where to start.
As he mulled things over, he started yawning. His lack of rest was catching up to him. Although he hadn't stayed up late the night before, waking up so early left him feeling exhausted. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.
He was only woken up later by the sounds of activity in the dorm.
By the third year, coursework became relatively light. Most afternoons were filled with elective classes, which were optional.
Some students chose to work part-time, others participated in club activities or went to the library, but most preferred staying in the dorm playing games.
As Jason entered the room, he laughed and said, "Third brother, you skipped the class today, and Tina and that Lyla came over asking about you."
"What did you tell them?"
Hearing Tina's name, Ryan couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"Hmm, I told them you were sick and resting in the dorm, and that you probably didn't hear your phone because it was on silent."
Jason rolled his eyes seeing Ryan's pathetic reaction talking about Tina.
Weston who was on the other hand, smirked mischievously and said, "Lyla said she's coming to see you."
"Is Tina coming too?"
As a seasoned simp, this question was almost instinctual.