Basque cake

Jiang Yichun quickly carried the quarter of the Basque cake he had cut back to his dormitory.

The cake, fresh from the refrigerator, still had water droplets clinging to its packaging, yet its golden-brown, slightly charred color was undeniable.

She solemnly placed the cake on the table, then took out her phone and started sending messages.

Everything's easy: [Sisters! I've already put the cake on the first floor of the cafeteria!]

She smiled and casually sent the photo of the cake to that person.

The other party replied instantly as usual.

Stata, please let me go: [Okay, thank you, sis. I've got it~]

She soon received a picture from the other party.

It was a pair of beautiful, fair hands, carrying an exquisitely packaged cake box.

Those fair hands immediately caught Jiang Yichun's eye. She zoomed in on the photo, examined it carefully for a while, and casually complimented them:

[Sister, your hands are so beautiful! You'd be perfect as a hand model!]

The other party replied instantly:

Thank you. Some people did approach me about becoming their models, but I declined.

I still need to study hard and deal with my Stata.

Everything's Easy: [I can tell, sister, you really love Stata deeply.]

Stata, please let me go: [No, I hate it. I was forced into loving you by it.]

However, if it can give me a significant result, we can have a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love.

Although it was still some corny, tired jokes, Jiang Yichun burst out laughing.

With a smile, she casually opened the cake box, took out a fork, gently scooped a spoonful of Basque cake, and put it in her mouth.

A delicate and smooth texture unfolded on her tongue.

The tartness of the cream cheese is wrapped around a hint of sweetness, followed by a rich milky aroma, and the aftertaste has a subtle lemon fragrance.

Although it's a rich cheese dessert, the hint of lemon completely neutralizes the greasiness.

Although the pressure of being accepted into a graduate program had been overwhelming, chatting with that witty friend allowed Jiang Yichun to escape the pressure for a while.

She watched helplessly as the small, golden-yellow cake in her hand transformed from a relatively large triangle into an irregular shape, and finally into a tiny triangle.

Jiang Yichun reluctantly stuffed the last bite of cake into his mouth and looked down at his phone again.

Stata, please leave me alone: ​​[Sister, I just saw your post on WeChat Moments, what happened?]

Jiang Yichun was taken aback, picked up his phone, and frowned.

Why is she so concerned about herself?

The other party quickly sent a second message: "Is it about sharing an order with me? Or... did you not find anything good to eat?"

Jiang Yichun scratched his head, tidied up the cake, and stared at the person's ID for a while.

Group meetings, Stata software... Oh yeah, this person is also a graduate student!

You might not get empathy from others, but if you chat with a graduate student in a similar field, they might offer some helpful advice.

Everything is easy: [It's not because of you, it's just because of the graduate school application process.]

I'm a junior now, and I'll be applying for graduate school soon. I want to apply to University A, and I asked a senior about it today. He was very knowledgeable, but what he said really made me anxious.

Stata, please let me go: [What did he say?]

Everything is easy: [This means it's very difficult to get into graduate school at University A. He said that even if you pass the interview and written exam, you might be rejected because your English score isn't high enough.]

I feel a bit disappointed, even though my grades are pretty good. By the way, sister, are you a graduate student at our university? Did you get in through the entrance exam or by being recommended for graduate school?

The other party replied instantly:

[I got in through the guaranteed admission program. I totally understand you! I was under a lot of pressure when I applied, and I did try for A University. I totally understand, sister.]

I was so nervous I couldn't eat. Anxiety is normal, I feel for you. As for that senior student… maybe he was a bit too strict?

Jiang Yichun smiled as he looked at the person's calm and gentle words and the few cute cat patting emojis that were sent.

An image of a fair-skinned, beautiful woman appeared before her eyes, gently stroking her bangs through the phone.

A smile involuntarily crept onto her lips: "Yeah, that senior is so cold, he talks like an AI. He's practically the opposite of you."

[Although he's a nice person and good-looking.]

Jiang Yichun stared blankly at the line "The other party is typing" on his phone for a while before receiving a reply.

Stata, please let me go: [Pfft, that's funny? So cold... I think I know who he is.]

His name is He Yinxin, right?

Jiang Yichun slammed his phone down on the table: 【Yes, yes, yes! That's him!】

Stata, please let me go: [Actually, once you get to know him, he's quite patient.]

He's really good at learning things. Since you're anxious, I have an idea.

Everything is easy: [What idea?]

Stata, please leave me alone: ​​[Old He is a really good guy. I heard he often takes on Stata data analysis and tutors other students in the School of Management with empirical research for their theses.]

You could ask him if he'd be willing to tutor you.

Or let me speak to him for you; I have a pretty good relationship with him.

Jiang Yichun hurriedly picked up his phone: 【No need, no need, I'll just talk to my senior myself. And while I'm at it, I'll ask him about the fees.】

The other party's message was cut off at this moment.

Jiang Yichun looked at the empty chat box, sighed, and decided to focus on the financial issues first.

She opened her chat window with her mother and saw the two thousand yuan red envelope she had already received. She immediately slumped into her chair.

She used to be able to save some money each month by finding people to share her meals and carefully budgeting her money.

However, if you spend the money on papers and graduate school tutoring, your savings might be stretched thin again.

She thought of the complaints on the school walls about the inflated prices for essay tutoring and sighed again.

If the senior's fees are very high...

She frowned, but finally opened the chat window with He Yinxin and sent a message:

[Hello, Senior He. Sorry to bother you. I learned from graduate students and classmates that you are very good at writing papers and data analysis. I was wondering if you could tutor me for applying to graduate school?]

[It's paid!]

The senior student who usually replied instantly was unable to respond this time.

Jiang Yichun stood up, turned off his phone, and paced back and forth in the room.

Her scalp tingled, her palms sweated, and her breathing quickened.

Her footsteps pattered on the ground, echoing in the small dormitory room.

Yang Fei, who was lying in bed playing on her phone, peeked out and looked at her: "Xiao Chun, what's wrong?"

Jiang Yichun shook his head and did not answer her.

"Could it be that you didn't reply to your message to Crush, Xiaochun?" Yang Fei raised an eyebrow at her.

Jiang Yichun glared at her: "Feifei, what are you saying? I'm not looking for a boyfriend, he's too much of a hassle."

But the image of her standing in front of the pig's trotters stall that day flashed before her eyes.

Even though it was just a glance, He Yinxin's tall and straight figure lingered in her mind.

Jiang Yichun took a deep breath and forced a voice to speak: "Many people date just for the sake of dating, without any sense of boundaries. Even if I meet a handsome guy, I'll just watch from afar."

Yang Fei burst into laughter: "I know, I know, everyone knows what happened last time..."

"Stop talking, Feifei!" Jiang Yichun shouted angrily.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore." Yang Fei wisely slipped back into the bed curtains.

"Beep." The phone rang again, and Jiang Yichun picked it up from the table.

Stata, please let me go: [I'm back, I'm back. Lao He said it's okay, he said he'll contact you right away. He'll discuss the fees with you privately.]

[Just between you and me, Lao He thinks you're a very hardworking and ambitious person, and he even said something quite interesting to me.]

He said you seem to really enjoy food.

"Huh?" The message froze in her sight, a strange force stirring her heartstrings.

After all, this was the first time someone had specifically noticed her interest in food.

She suppressed the stirrings in her heart, took a deep breath, and replied: 【Really? So Senior He is quite observant after all. I thought he really was the bot everyone was talking about, haha.】

Stata, please let me go: [By the way, I heard that Lao He has a bit of anorexia.]

However, he's not the type who simply can't eat; he just compulsively calculates the calories in food.

So this might be why he noticed your love for food?

Jiang Yichun felt a strange feeling growing stronger: Could it be that He Yinxin even controls her food intake like a robot?

Looking at the other person's cute cat profile picture, she sent a message: "Thanks so much, sis, for helping me contact my senior. By the way, I don't even know your name."

The other party's message arrived quite a while later.

Stata, please let me go: [Just call me Xixi, I'm from the Management Master's program, class 223.]

I already know your name from Lao He. Your name is Jiang Yichun, right? Can I call you Xiaochun?

Everything's easy: 【Of course, Sister Xixi!】

Stata, please let me go: [So, are we friends now?]

Jiang Yichun looked at the message, smiled, and replied while changing the nickname: 【Of course.】

She sent the other person a "touch" emoji.

Xi Xi returned the gesture with a little rabbit heart emoji.

Guan Shuoxi: [Next time there's something delicious, I'll definitely ask you to share it with me!]

Everything is easy: 【Okay!】

Jiang Yichun stared at her phone screen, as if the Five Finger Mountain pressing down on her had been moved away by the "Goddess Guanyin" on the other end of the phone.

"Beep." He Yinxin's message overwrote Xixi's message.

: [Received, it's fine.]

I don't accept money. But there may be other conditions.

Jiang Yichun frowned, his blank white profile picture fixed in front of her: No money, then what are the other conditions...?

Some family dramas where the protagonist pretends to be the other person's girlfriend to appease their parents and eventually ends up getting married flooded her mind.

She couldn't explain why she got involved with that person, or why such scenes kept popping into her mind.

Contractual relationship? Or did it turn into real life?

Jiang Yichun hissed and gasped.

Seriously? Am I going to become the main character in this kind of TV drama?

She scratched her head, her finger pausing on her phone.

Will my senior block me if I ask this kind of question?

After all, He Yinxin looks like a very serious and methodical person.

But in the end, her guardedness overcame her fear: "Senior, is this a legitimate offer?"

The message from the other party was delayed for a while before it finally arrived.

[Serious. Not illegal or immoral.]

【rest assured. 】

"Have lunch with me first, it's almost lunchtime."

Let's talk about this over dinner.