Right after getting dumped, He suddenly learned that his best buddy was the legendary cold-as-ice school beauty. - Chapter 78

The breakfast shop Lu Yibei took Ji Qingqian to was bustling.

Steam rose in thick clouds, and early-morning workers moved among the crowd.

Lu Yibei called out to an elderly woman packing breakfast for customers.

“Niangniang.”

The old lady, busy with her work, replied without looking up, “Little Lu! Long time no see.”

Only then did she lift her gaze, first at Lu Yibei, then at the girl beside him.

Ji Qingqian felt a bit nervous.

Earlier, in idle conversation, Lu Yibei had explained that the word “niangniang” carried different meanings depending on the dialect.

In Sichuan and Chongqing, it meant something like “auntie.”

Here, in the Wu dialect, it was closer to “grandma,” a respectful term for an elderly woman.

“Niangniang,” Ji Qingqian repeated, mimicking the pronunciation. Being from the north, it sounded a little off.

The old lady’s smile deepened.

She immediately sensed Ji Qingqian wasn’t local and switched to Mandarin with a Hangzhou accent:

“Good, good… Little Lu, is this your girlfriend?”

Ji Qingqian clasped her hands behind her back, subtly fiddling with her fingers. She glanced at Lu Yibei.

He forced a wry smile. If he said “girlfriend,” he hadn’t officially confessed yet. If he said no, the heroine Ji Qingqian might just hand him a full set of Great Heavenly Strike.

“My little ancestor,” he said.

The old lady laughed, her wrinkles deep and warm.

Then Lu Yibei felt a weight on his foot. Looking down, he saw Ji Qingqian had stepped on his foot, gave him a sharp glance, and immediately looked away.

He ordered the usual breakfast, two portions.

Even though the place was crowded, the packed meals were soon in his hands.

Clearly, the old lady had let him jump the line.

“This breakfast shop has quite a history,” Lu Yibei said as they walked back to campus. “She started it when she was young. Now it’s been twenty or thirty years. Her grandson helps out now and plans to take over. A true old-school establishment.”

Ji Qingqian nodded, chewing her fried dough stick.

Lu Yibei opened the plastic bag with the soup dumplings, added the vinegar packet, and picked one up with his chopsticks.

Ji Qingqian immediately held the fried dough stick, opened her lips, and waited.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Lu Yibei warned.

She took it with her mouth, chewed, then exclaimed:

“Solid. Iron teeth, copper jaw.”

Lu Yibei laughed. “Since when does the Ice Queen Campus Beauty eat like this?”

“Everyone else’s prejudice,” Ji Qingqian said lightly. “What you see is what’s real.”

She glanced at the box of dumplings. “Quite a lot. This should be enough for our Erbin… Did Niangniang know you?”

“Mm.”

“How do you know so many people?”

Ji Qingqian squinted, suspicious: “Social butterfly traits?”

“Before… yeah, last winter break,” Lu Yibei said. “Her old dog, raised for over ten years, suddenly ran away. I helped her look, and that’s how we met.”

“Did you find it?” she asked.

“No.”

“Been half a year… Did she post lost-dog notices?”

“No.”

“Why—”

Before she could finish, Lu Yibei fed her a soup dumpling, saying softly:

“Because it passed away.”

The dumpling in her mouth made her cheeks puff slightly. She couldn’t speak, but her clear eyes widened.

“Dogs don’t live as long as humans. That dog wasn’t well all last year… Dogs are simple creatures. If you’re good to them, they remember. When their time comes, they don’t want their owners to worry—they slip out, find a place, and wait for the end.”

He continued, “Actually, Niangniang knew too. She looked for it briefly and then stopped. Rather than truly wanting it back, she was giving it its final journey. A good old lady, and a loyal dog.”

The boy smiled.

Ji Qingqian swallowed and looked at Lu Yibei with clear, bright eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You know,” she said.

“Huh?”

“But you still went with her,” Ji Qingqian said.

“Mm…” Lu Yibei scratched the back of his head. “She’s old. If she gets upset, it’s better to have someone there to look after her. I was free anyway.”

Ji Qingqian bit her lower lip lightly, squinting at him.

“Not a heroine… some things lose their meaning if you spell them out,” Lu Yibei said helplessly.

She wanted to smile.

This was the big boy who lived in her heart.

Gentle, yet oblivious to his own charm.

No wonder she liked him so much.

Ji Qingqian picked up a thin disposable chopstick, grabbed a dumpling, and held it to Lu Yibei’s lips:

“Good boy, here, ah—”

…

The playground.

Today was the last morning of military training, featuring a class formation competition.

The field was swarming with freshmen.

Instructors and leaders hadn’t arrived yet, and everyone chatted with familiar faces, creating a roaring cacophony.

No one found it annoying; it was the sound of youth.

“Let’s assemble,” Lu Yibei said, taking the tissue Ji Qingqian had used to wipe her hands and mouth.

She nodded softly.

“You’ll stay here?” she asked.

“Once it officially starts, the field won’t allow outsiders. I’ll watch you from outside,” he said, pointing to the road beyond the fence.

She nodded again, quietly:

“Why don’t you go back to the dorm? There’s not much to see.”

Lu Yibei snorted.

“I don’t care what you think. I decide what’s worth seeing. And this might be the only time in my life I see the heroine in her military uniform. I can’t miss it.”

Ji Qingqian understood. When enough qualifiers were added, anything could become a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But coming from him, it carried conviction.

She didn’t argue.

“Besides, I’m the flag bearer~” she said, tilting her chin, looking proud and cute.

Flag bearers led the formation, usually one boy and one girl.

She was tall, poised, straight-backed, beautiful, and strong. Even a novice couldn’t miss that she was the obvious choice.

“When you return victorious, I’ll make you Sergeant Ji Qingqian,” Lu Yibei said, patting her shoulder lightly.

“Mission accepted,” she replied.

Just as they were about to part, something caught their attention. They turned simultaneously, brows furrowed.

Crap, they were sniped.

Not far away, Xia Li was holding a camera, the massive lens trained on them like a cannon.

Caught, she lowered the viewfinder and beamed at them.

“Brother Yibe!!”