Chapter 57 He thought he saw Wen Zhi...

Two busy weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

After completing their two-week military training, the freshmen, like wild horses released from their enclosures, instantly took over the campus walls and forums. Nine out of ten posts were made by freshmen, with posts trying to recruit students, posting about students, and gossip posts popping up everywhere.

The influx of these energetic young people stirred up the entire campus and brought a lot of fun to the upperclassmen.

Inside the noodle shop, four students from dormitory 303 were slurping noodles at a table.

He Jin picked up the bowl of noodles, finished the last sip of soup, put the bowl down, swiped his phone on the table a few times with his little finger, then suddenly stopped, pointed at the screen: "That junior is so popular lately, I've seen posts trying to get him back."

He didn't specify which junior he was talking about, but his two roommates knew exactly who he was referring to.

"I've seen him several times, and he really is very handsome. There aren't a single ugly photo of him from so many different angles."

"Does he need anyone to help him? The whole school probably knows which department he's in now."

"But don't you guys think he looks kind of familiar..."

Upon hearing the words "especially handsome," Wen Zhi, who was standing nearby, quietly perked up her ears, but then remembered that she already had a boyfriend, so she immediately pretended not to hear.

Just then, Ding Mingjun leaned over and nudged him lightly with his elbow: "Xiao Zhi, have you seen this on social media? Is it your type?"

Wen Zhiyi denied it firmly: "No."

He doesn't usually browse forums or campus walls because he always unexpectedly sees his own photos on them, so he eventually stopped clicking on them altogether.

So he had never seen the junior that his roommates were so excitedly discussing.

Just then, my phone vibrated; it was Song Juelan's daily mealtime greeting.

Wen Zhi didn't seem to mind at all. She picked up her phone, took a picture of the half-eaten noodles, and sent it to Song Juelan with practiced ease, as if she was already used to it.

The other three people at the table exchanged glances, and finally He Jin couldn't help but clear his throat: "Who have you been chatting with lately? I've never seen you like this before."

Ding Mingjun leaned forward and asked curiously, "Yeah, and they send three meals a day to that person without fail. What's going on?"

Even Fang Wenxiu, who isn't usually one for gossip, asked with concern, "Are you dating someone?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Wen Zhi instinctively gripped her phone, unsure how to respond, and could only mumble a "hmm".

"Holy crap, they really talked?" He Jin's mouth could fit an egg, his face full of disbelief.

Ding Mingjun was also dumbfounded, almost dropping his chopsticks: "When did this happen?"

"...We talked about it during the summer vacation." Wen Zhi lowered her head guiltily, poking at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks.

If he and Song Juelan were in a normal relationship, he could openly tell his roommates. But what happened between them was far more complicated than that.

He Jin was stunned for a moment, digesting this bombshell news, and then remembered a key question.

During this time, he often saw Wen Zhi chatting with that person on her phone, but he never saw them make a video call, which was obviously not normal.

A bold guess came to his mind, and he tentatively asked, "You and that person... you wouldn't happen to be in an online relationship, would you?"

Fang Wenxiu and He Jin had the same idea. Fang Wenxiu said seriously, "If it's an online relationship, you should be careful and not send the other person photos that might expose their privacy."

After following the other two's train of thought, Ding Mingjun immediately chimed in, "Right, right! There are all sorts of people online. What if they find us by following your photo?"

Hearing her roommates' words, a look of confusion flashed in Wen Zhi's eyes, and she quickly explained, "It's not an online relationship, I've met him in person."

Moreover, Song Juelan probably wouldn't do such a thing.

Hearing him say that, the others were relieved and then couldn't wait to inquire about his girlfriend.

"Hey! I introduced you to someone before, and you said you didn't want to date. Turns out you just didn't like them!" He Jin glanced sideways at Wen Zhi beside him, having seen through this looks-obsessed person.

The handsome guys he introduced to Wen Zhi before were all pretty good, but Wen Zhi didn't like any of them. He actually believed that Wen Zhi wasn't interested in dating.

Ding Mingjun chimed in, "That's right! When are you bringing him over for us to see?"

Wen Zhi's head was almost buried in the bowl of noodles, and her voice was weak: "If there's a chance... I'll bring him here."

As the bell rang, a group of people poured out of the teaching building and scattered noisily in different directions.

Song Juelan's tall and upright figure stood out from the crowd. His three roommates spotted him at a glance and immediately squeezed through the bustling crowd to his side.

"Brother Song, are you going out to play later? People from other colleges invited us to a social gathering today, and they asked us to tell you!" Fei Kangcheng said to him with great interest.

His other two roommates also looked at him with bright eyes and expectant faces.

Song Juelan lowered his head slightly, concentrating on typing on his phone, and replied without looking up, "You guys go ahead."

This was the expected answer, and the three of them weren't too disappointed. They continued to follow Song Juelan like little tails, chattering about the evening's activities.

Bold glances were frequently cast their way; they knew those people were looking at Song Juelan, after all, he had become quite a sensation on campus recently. In comparison, the three of them walking beside him looked like Song Juelan's lackeys.

However, they didn't mind at all. With such a powerful older brother, they might as well follow him.

After checking the photos Wen Zhi sent as usual, Song Juelan looked up, his gaze sweeping over the supermarket sign next to him. He was about to go in and find a random restaurant for dinner when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The three people following behind him, Fei Kangcheng and his companion, were caught off guard and almost bumped into his back. They also stopped and looked over in confusion, only to find that Song Juelan, who usually had a calm expression, was now slightly stiff.

"What's wrong, Brother Song?"

Song Juelan didn't hear the question behind her; her gaze was fixed on the figures walking out of the noodle shop.

The slender figure in the middle had her head slightly lowered, a few strands of black hair obscuring her eyebrows and eyes, and was mostly blocked by her companion beside her, so only a blurry outline could be seen.

For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw Wen Zhi.

He subconsciously took a step, wanting to chase after them in that direction, but it was the busiest time at the supermarket entrance, and in the blink of an eye, those people disappeared into the surging crowd and vanished without a trace.

"Brother Song? Are you alright?" His roommate asked with concern from behind.

Song Juelan stared at the direction where the group had disappeared, stood there for a while, and then shook his head: "It's nothing."

How could Wen Zhi possibly be here?

Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen Wen Zhi for so long that he mistook the similar figure for Wen Zhi.

He and Wen Zhi hadn't seen each other for half a month.

Song Juelan's jawline tightened slightly as she took out her phone and glanced at her recent chat history with Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi on his phone would obediently reply to his messages every day, and sometimes she would even take the initiative to share with him what delicious food she had eaten or what fun things she had encountered that day.

But he just wouldn't tell him where he was.

Over the past two weeks, based on the photos Wen Zhi sent, he has narrowed down the search to two cities.

One of them is S City, where he is currently located, and the other is a city hundreds of kilometers away.

Perhaps because he didn't believe such a coincidence could happen, he subconsciously leaned towards the latter.

Now that military training is over, he plans to head to that city this weekend to try his luck at the restaurants where Wen Zhi often goes.

Song Juelan's patience dwindled with each passing day, and a storm brewed in his heart, teetering on the brink of eruption.

After dinner, on my way back to the dormitory, I passed a grove of trees and saw a group of people gathered under a tree, excitedly chattering about something.

"What an adorable kitten!"

"Oh my, your belly is so round, you've been fed until it's like a little truck! Let me feel it!"

A lazy, slightly arrogant meow rang out, and then a yellow and white cat jumped out from the crowd and swaggered past Song Juelan.

It stopped at his feet again, stretched lazily as if no one else was there, its fluffy tail held high, and its round body brushed against his trouser leg unintentionally.

Song Juelan frowned almost imperceptibly, his gaze sweeping over the cat's unusual yellow and white ears without lingering, and then he walked past it.

Back in the dorm, the other three roommates immediately turned on their computers and logged on quickly.

"Brother Song, let's go together!" they greeted Song Juelan warmly.

Last time I teamed up with Song Juelan for a few games, they were carried to victory and easily gained a lot of points. Thinking back on it now, it still feels incredibly satisfying.

Song Juelan, who was also looking to distract himself, absentmindedly responded and casually opened the game.

As soon as I logged in, my eyes were immediately drawn to the familiar profile picture that happened to be lit up in my friends list.

Wen Zhi happened to be online too.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and without thinking, moved the mouse over the avatar and clicked the invitation.

The next second, the account called "Pudding King" appeared in his team, with the microphone still lit up.

A soft, clear voice came through the earphones, tinged with a hint of doubt: "Hmm? Where are the others...?"

The last syllable faded away, as if they had finally seen the faces in the group and realized they had mistaken someone for someone else.

A brief silence fell over the headphones. A few seconds later, the voice cautiously sounded again, this time sounding somewhat guilty: "Juelan, it's you."

Song Juelan gave a soft "hmm," paused, and then asked, "Is there anyone else with you?"

On the other side, Wen Zhi, who was about to play games with her roommates but was caught red-handed as soon as she logged in, blinked her long eyelashes a few times and said, "No."

Although he didn't know why Song Juelan always asked this question, he would always obediently answer.

In front of the computer screen, Song Juelan's cold and stern eyebrows relaxed slightly, clearly satisfied with the answer.

It seems that Wen Zhi's search for the child's father is not going smoothly, which suits him just fine.

He moved the mouse, started a game with Wen Zhi, and then casually asked, "When are you planning to go back?"

Since Wen Zhi can't find her ex-husband, she can't keep searching indefinitely.

There was a pause on the other end before Wen Zhi gave a somewhat vague reply: "...around Chinese New Year."

Song Juelan's hand tightened instantly around the mouse, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, but his tone remained calm: "So long."

"Hmm." Wen Zhi was focused on selecting a hero and didn't notice that Song Juelan's mood was off.

It wasn't until the game started, and he was controlling his hero, closely following behind Song Juelan, that he realized Song Juelan hadn't spoken for a long time, seemingly because he was unhappy with what Song Juelan had said earlier.

Wen Zhi pursed her soft lips, thought for a while, then controlled her hero to hang on Song Juelan, picked up her phone, and scrolled to the picture she had taken of the clingy kitten on her way back to the dormitory that night.

He casually sent the photo to Song Juelan.

"Look! This is the kitten I met today, isn't it cute?"

Upon hearing those words from his earpiece, Song Juelan unlocked his phone with his left hand and glanced at the photo.

My gaze froze on the screen.

In the photo, the cat actively approaches the camera, its wet pink nose magnified, and its yellow and white ears on its head are exceptionally eye-catching.

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Author's note: Thanks to the consistently crazy and opportunistic grenade throwers~

Thanks to the sweet wine for the two landmines!

Thanks to Jinjiang Coins Not Enough, Guilt, Yuqing, Fengsui, moonlight, Yutongyu, Joker, Youmo de Xiaoye, Xigua, and Hu Taiyang's Landmine~

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution!