Right after getting dumped, He suddenly learned that his best buddy was the legendary cold-as-ice school beauty. - Chapter 45

The next day.

Ma Jiaojiao looked up at the dark clouds hanging in the south.

“Looks like it’s going to rain…”

Chu Ru appeared behind her, pressing her hands on Ma Jiaojiao’s shoulders.

“I really want to live next to you.”

Ma Jiaojiao: …

“You’re a fellow Song Mouse too, girl! We have to bond,” Chu Ru said.

Ma Jiaojiao rolled her eyes. “Who’s bonding with you? I’m talking about the rain!”

“Then let’s hurry to the cafeteria. After dinner, we can just hang out in the dorm,” Chu Ru urged.

The instructor had already dismissed them. Seeing Ji Qingqian still standing tall and unmoving, Chu Ru called out:

“Ji Qingqian, time to eat!”

The goddess was usually icy and distant, but when it came to food, she was surprisingly eager.

Ji Qingqian shook her head. “I’m not going today.”

“Ah? Not feeling well?” Chu Ru reached to touch her forehead.

“I’m going out to eat,” Ji Qingqian said.

Chu Ru nodded. “Okay, then maybe we’ll go out too. I did say I’d treat you guys… Ji Qingqian, what do you want to eat—”

She hadn’t finished her question before Ma Jiaojiao tugged at her sleeve, shaking her head, silently warning her not to pry.

Chu Ru was initially puzzled, but Ma Jiaojiao’s expression made her pause. She hesitated, then asked Ji Qingqian:

“Are you going out alone?”

Ji Qingqian shook her head.

“…With who?” Chu Ru asked more cautiously.

Ji Qingqian didn’t answer.

Ma Jiaojiao suddenly wrapped her arm around Chu Ru’s neck, pulling her close.

“Ji Qingqian, go back and take a shower first… we’ll head to the cafeteria.”

Then she leaned toward Chu Ru’s ear and whispered:

“Who else could it be besides that senior?”

“…Already this far? You two set a date just like that?” Chu Ru exclaimed in shock.

“Didn’t you see? That senior is really persistent…” Ma Jiaojiao sighed.

From an ordinary perspective, Ji Qingqian would never take the initiative.

It had to be Lu Yibei chasing her.

Wang Jue, thinking she’d figured out the truth, smiled faintly to herself, keeping her insights hidden.

The goddess wasn’t just proactive—she was going straight for the win, convincing her Yibei to rush all the way from the northeast to Jiangnan…

After the roommates left, Ji Qingqian turned back toward the dorm.

Covered in sweat from military training, a shower and a change of clothes were definitely in order.

What should she wear?

Yibei loved looking at legs. She had to make sure he was completely captivated…

…

[YibeiNorth: I’m downstairs.]

Lu Yibei sent a message to the Ji Qingqian heroine.

No reply.

She was probably still in the shower.

He didn’t rush. He split the oranges he got from Fatty with the dorm aunt.

Not wanting to block the girls’ dorm, he moved to the roadside, crouching to play with a black-and-white “cow” cat.

Word was this cat had been at the school longer than him—a true “Senior Cat.”

Lu Yibei: “Meow… meow…”
Senior, you’ve been here so long—found a girlfriend yet?

Senior Cat: “Meow… meow…”
Not yet. What about you?

Lu Yibei: “Meow… meow…”
Waiting to take a pretty junior out to dinner. Cool, huh?

All of this was just Lu Yibei imagining it.

Just as he was about to stop daydreaming, Senior Cat let out a sharp meow, then pounced, swatting his face with a soft paw.

It leapt onto his cap, used it as a springboard, then strutted away, wagging its plump little rear as if mocking Lu Yibei’s bragging.

Lu Yibei: …

Jealous. Pure jealousy.

He brushed the fur off his hat and put it back on.

Then his phone buzzed.

[Ji Qingqian: I’m done, heading downstairs now.]
[YibeiNorth: Okay, no rush.]

That “no rush” was for himself. When a girl says “now,” it’s not the same as when a boy says “now.”

For boys, “now” exceeding three minutes could be punishable by the UN.

For girls, “now” could mean half an hour at minimum…

Lu Yibei glanced around. Senior Cat, tired of his showboating, had vanished. He needed another way to pass the time.

Another buzz.

[Ji Qingqian: I’m here. Where are you?]
[YibeiNorth: ?]

…That fast?

His theory was wrong.

Looking toward the girls’ dorm, a tall, slender figure was already coming out, walking toward him.

As she approached, Ji Qingqian muttered softly:

“What are you doing crouching here? If the aunt hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have found you…”

Lu Yibei was half-crouched, she standing.

He tilted his head up to look at her.

Her black hair, slightly damp from the shower, swayed with the wind, emitting a faint citrus scent.

She wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a pale blue plaid tie, and a matching pleated skirt.

The skirt fell just above her knees, revealing slender legs wrapped in black over-the-knee socks.

On her feet, classic Converse sneakers, this time high-top.

Lu Yibei couldn’t help but glance at the sliver of pale skin between skirt and socks.

Few people knew this area even had a name: the “absolute territory”…

Ji Qingqian looked down at him, expression unreadable.

He quickly averted his gaze, then stood, pretending to dust off imaginary dirt.

…Damn, she’s too good-looking. Totally unfair.

He stared for a bit too long.

“…JK?” Lu Yibei asked.

JK, short for jyoshikoukousei, meaning high school girl, had evolved into a popular fashion style in recent years—exactly like Ji Qingqian now.

She stood with her hands behind her back, lightly nodding.

“Does it suit me?” she asked.

Though casual, her left hand behind her back nervously fiddled with her right index finger.

“I thought a character from a beautiful girl manga had stepped out of the page,” Lu Yibei said.

“So, does it suit me?”

“Absolutely perfect.”

“Pretty?”

“Absolutely stunning.”

Lu Yibei looked her over again, speechless. “…You look so good, do I look low-level next to you?”

He hadn’t expected Ji Qingqian to dress up before leaving.

He, as usual, wore a plain white tee and shorts, prioritizing comfort above all.

Ji Qingqian studied his face carefully, from left cheek to right, before smiling softly:

“It’s okay. You look good too.”

Lu Yibei: …

He turned his face slightly.

His face heated up.

A little shy.