Chapter 14: You Are in Love, Eliminating Evils for the People

While scalding the tableware with boiling water, Shen Ci asked with a smile, "You haven't been to this street once in your entire freshman year, have you?"

Gu Lianxing frowned and shook her head; she hadn't even known there was a food street behind the school.

Seeing this, Shen Ci wasn't surprised at all. She teased, "I bet the biggest hardship you've ever faced in your life has been drinking iced Americanos."

"But don't worry. Although this little eatery looks like its hygiene is questionable, it's actually not dirty at all."

"Huh?" Gu Lianxing looked horrified.

Shen Ci burst out laughing. "I'm kidding. Because this street is behind the University of Science and Technology, the main customers are college students, so it's frequently subject to sudden inspections by the relevant authorities. While the hygiene can't compare to those high-end restaurants, you don't need to worry too much."

"The main thing is that the food here tastes great. You'll know once you try it in a bit."

Although Gu Lianxing was a bit delicate, she wasn't pretentious. She continued wiping the table with a tissue and looked at Shen Ci sincerely. "Anyway, I said I'm treating you to dinner, so you can eat whatever you want."

Shen Ci nodded with a smile and arranged the scalded tableware, wanting Gu Lianxing to feel at least a bit more at ease while using them.

As mealtime approached, more people began to trickle into the small eatery. The space was somewhat cramped, with seats placed very close together; leaning back even slightly would result in bumping into the person behind you.

Gu Lianxing felt a bit awkward, but she was also curious about this kind of small eatery. The kitchen was just behind a curtain, and while the noise inside was chaotic, the aromas wafting out were irresistibly fragrant.

She even found herself looking forward to it.

"Shen Ci!"

Eating here made it inevitable to run into acquaintances. A few girls saw Shen Ci and approached her enthusiastically to say hello.

Shen Ci responded with a smile. They were all from the neighboring dormitory, and they were all decent people.

"I heard from Yu Xinxin that you moved out? Is that true?"

"I switched dorms. You know I don't get along with them," Shen Ci explained. The matter regarding her dormitory wasn't exactly a secret in the East District female dorms; the people in the neighboring dorms knew best.

The girls nodded repeatedly. One of them said, "It's good that you moved. Yu Xinxin was just jealous of you, using those two indecisive followers to ostracize you."

Shen Ci smiled but said nothing, while Gu Lianxing listened with great interest, unable to resist asking, "Did Shen Ci change dorms because she was being isolated?"

"That's right. You're her new roommate, right? You should get along well with Shen Ci in the future; she's a very good person."

Being praised so openly by others made Shen Ci feel a bit embarrassed.

Gu Lianxing looked at Shen Ci with a face full of sympathy. How could anyone have the heart to bully such a beautiful roommate?

"By the way, Shen Ci, Li Xiao ran down to our female dorm building to look for you again yesterday. Yu Xinxin even made a show of going downstairs to meet him on your behalf."

"She even changed into a new dress. Her little schemes are just too obvious."

"Exactly. Shen Ci, ever since you and Li Xiao broke up, you've basically given her an opening. She's started clinging to him quite blatantly."

"But Li Xiao didn't pay her any mind. I heard he left as soon as he heard you had moved. The look on Yu Xinxin's face when she was left hanging was hilarious."

As the girls recounted the events of last night to Shen Ci, Shen Ci remained largely unreactive, but Gu Lianxing was left stunned.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Yu Xinxin walked in through the door, accompanied by Lin Shuang and Wang Hou.

Upon seeing them, the girls rolled their eyes and said to Shen Ci, "Enjoy your meal, Shen Ci. We're going to sit over there."

Clearly, although Shen Ci had been the one isolated in her previous dormitory, Yu Xinxin was the most disliked person in the entire East District female dorms.

Yu Xinxin naturally saw Shen Ci as well. Her face darkened instantly, and she muttered under her breath, "Bad luck!"

Shen Ci didn't even spare her a glance. Just then, the proprietress brought the dishes up, and she hurriedly urged Gu Lianxing to eat while it was hot.

The two had ordered "Salt and Pepper Pork Strips," "Lotus Pond Stir-fry," and "Golden Soup Fish." The pork strips were fried to a golden crisp, the stir-fry was light and refreshing, and the sour aroma of the golden soup fish wafted straight into the nose.

Gu Lianxing was instantly amazed because these dishes all had a very strong *wok hei* (breath of the wok), and the flavors were exceptionally honest and pure.

"This is delicious, Shen Ci! You really didn't lie to me!" Gu Lianxing nodded as she ate, her eyes brightening.

Shen Ci smiled and told her to eat more if she liked it, while she herself also deeply missed the taste of this shop.

Undeterred by Yu Xinxin, Shen Ci worked up a great appetite, and the two girls ended up cleaning the three dishes completely.

Gu Lianxing was thoroughly satisfied. Despite her usual strict body management, she had actually eaten two bowls of rice. After the meal, she sat hunched over with a limp expression, saying, "I can't do this. I can only eat vegetable leaves for dinner tonight."

Shen Ci was also quite full. Seeing that it was still early, she suggested they go for a stroll, as moving into a new dorm meant they would eventually need to buy some things.

After settling the bill, Shen Ci greeted the girls and prepared to leave with Gu Lianxing. However, as they passed Yu Xinxin's table, a foot was deliberately extended to block her path.

Immediately following that, Yu Xinxin's sarcastic voice rang out: "What? After being dumped by Li Xiao, you can't afford high-end restaurants anymore, so you've switched to hole-in-the-wall eateries? Your consumption downgrade is a bit severe, isn't it?"

Shen Ci's expression darkened slightly. She turned her head toward her and sneered, "When you act this low, do you even insult yourself? Aren't you sitting here right now? If you look down on these eateries so much, why don't you treat them to Michelin stars? Is it because they don't like it?"

As she spoke, Shen Ci's gaze swept over Lin Shuang and Wang Hou, and she scoffed, "Right, two followers who haven't seen much of the world—a little bit of small kindness is enough to buy their loyalty. Eating big meals would be such a waste of money."

Having her intentions exposed, Yu Xinxin's eyes turned red with rage. "Shen Ci, you're the one who got dumped by Li Xiao. Don't take it out on us."

With that, she lifted her chin in a mock-triumphant manner and deliberately raised her voice, "But it's normal that you find me unpleasant. After all, Li Xiao and I spent quite a while downstairs last night, talking a lot."

She thought that mentioning Li Xiao would make Shen Ci break down, but she didn't realize that hearing that name only brought a wave of disgust to Shen Ci's heart.

Shen Ci nodded. "That's wonderful. If you two can truly stay locked together forever, I'll be willing to pay for you to be buried together on the day you both die. After all, you love each other; it's a service to the public to eliminate such pests."

She then shook her head. "But thinking about it, it's probably impossible. I told you long ago, he doesn't care for you. After all, once a person has tasted the good stuff, who would want to go back to eating shit?"

With that, Shen Ci pulled Gu Lianxing toward the exit. Before Yu Xinxin could retract her protruding foot, Gu Lianxing actually stepped right on it. Yu Xinxin let out a startled scream and jerked her foot back.

Looking down, a heavy gray footprint had landed on her white sneaker.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't see you," Gu Lianxing said, looking at Yu Xinxin with an innocent expression.

Being insulted and then stepped on, Yu Xinxin exploded on the spot. She stood up and instinctively reached out to grab Shen Ci's wrist, screaming in fury, "Shen Ci, stop right there! You explain yourself!"

And it was this very action that caused the diamond bracelet on Shen Ci's wrist, worth nearly a hundred yuan, to snap into several pieces.