Chapter 19

It was Friday evening, and the sky darkened early, a chill already thick in the air. After class, Zhao Jinglu followed the directions Ling Peng had sent her and found a busy hot pot restaurant near the school. Before she even entered, the rich, fragrant aroma of hot pot hot pot simmered in the copper pot filled her face, a stark contrast to the chill outside.

She pushed open the door to the private room, and a wave of heat, mixed with the sound of boys' laughter, washed over her. Ling Peng, Zhang Hao, and Sun Wei had already arrived and were gathered around the table, looking at something on their phones and laughing.

"Hey! Here she comes!" Zhang Hao was the first to notice her. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes widening instantly, and exaggeratedly hit Ling Peng next to him with his elbow, "Oh my god! Brother Peng! This... is this the little teacher?!"

Sun Wei also looked up at the sound, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he finally grinned, "You really are my little teacher! I almost didn't recognize you! It's true that girls change a lot when they grow up, and they become more and more beautiful!"

Zhao Jinglu felt a little embarrassed by their stares and smiled: "Hello, seniors." She took off her coat, revealing the familiar and friendly blue and white school uniform. Her face was flushed from coming in from the cold outdoors. She was not wearing any makeup, but looked clean and fresh. It was a kind of beauty that was completely different from Shen Siyu's bright and delicate beauty. It was non-aggressive, like the warm sun in winter, which made people feel comfortable and want to get close to her.

Ling Peng stood up, his eyes lingering on her face for a moment. He naturally took the coat from her hand and hung it aside, then helped her pull out the chair next to him. "It must be cold on the road, right? They're both still acting like this, making so much noise. Don't mind them."

"It's okay. After all, it's not the first time we meet." Zhao Jinglu sat down and felt her cold limbs slowly warming up in the warm private room.

Zhang Hao was still marveling at the change: "No, the change is too big! I remember that you were a serious little kid before, but now you are completely... ow!" Before he could finish his words, Ling Peng kicked him under the table.

"If you don't know how to compliment others, then just shut up and wait for the meat." Ling Peng pushed the menu in front of Zhao Jinglu, "Take a look at what you want to eat. Don't hesitate, it's my treat today."

"Yes, yes, yes, order the dishes! I'm starving! I have to give him a good meal today. Thank you for your great contribution!"

Zhao Jinglu didn't hesitate and ordered two of her favorite dishes. The pot quickly boiled, the broth billowed, and white mist rose, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.

Ling Peng naturally took on the role of caring for everyone, especially Zhao Jinglu, who sat next to him. After he'd used serving chopsticks to blanch the lamb and tripe, he'd always put some in her bowl first, saying, "This is ready, eat quickly." Seeing her sour plum soup almost empty, he'd signal the waiter for another shot.

Zhang Hao and Sun Wei saw this and made eyes at each other, but in view of Ling Peng's previous "warning", they did not dare to make a loud noise.

Zhao Jinglu ate in small bites while listening to the three of them teasing each other and talking about their embarrassing moments in high school.

"Remember? When we were doing that street dance, Brother Peng used his hands and feet together and almost kicked Li Rui, who was standing next to him, away!"

"How dare you say that to me? That action of yours looks like an electric shock!"

"Sun Wei was even more amazing. In the final pose, he actually turned sideways! The audience was laughing like crazy!"

Zhao Jinglu couldn't help but laugh. The chaotic rehearsal scenes had become the perfect accompaniment to her meal. "Actually, the actual performance was pretty good. It was really impressive. Teacher Chen even praised it," she said with a hint of genuine regret. "It's a shame I was backstage preparing for the class program and didn't see you on stage."

"Really?" Sun Wei was a little surprised. "Oh, I should have moved the show to a later time to wait for you."

"No, that would only make the pressure even greater." Ling Peng smiled and shook his head.

Zhang Hao naturally took over the conversation, "Hey, Brother Peng, speaking of which, how did that project go?"

"My advisor said I could try to apply for a utility model patent for the core part, which could be a stepping stone to join an emerging company in the future. I've been organizing the materials these days."

Zhang Hao became excited when he heard this: "Patent? Awesome, Brother Peng! We must have another one!" He raised his glass.

Ling Peng bumped into him, then naturally turned his gaze to Zhao Jinglu and added, "It's also thanks to you that you led the way to find the 'Martial Arts Secret Book', which gave me the key inspiration." His tone was frank, as if this was something that everyone knew and took for granted.

Zhao Jinglu also smiled and picked up the sour plum soup: "You're welcome~ You are just so good." She was not surprised by this, as if it was supposed to be so.

At this moment, Zhang Hao excitedly made a slam dunk move, and his elbow accidentally hit the spoon in the bowl of chili oil. With a "clang", a few drops of hot red oil splashed out and landed on the cuff of Zhao Jinglu's school uniform.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Zhang Hao quickly took out a tissue.

"It's okay, it's okay." Zhao Jinglu quickly waved her hand and took the tissue to wipe it away. The oil spot wasn't big, but it was quite conspicuous on the white cuff of her school uniform.

Ling Peng also pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over, his eyes falling on her stained cuffs. It was clean, no longer bearing the crooked blue cursive letters from back then. A playful smile played at the corner of his mouth, and he practically blurted out, "Hey, why doesn't it say 'ZJL' on your sleeve now? Don't you like Jay Chou anymore?"

Zhang Hao and Sun Wei didn't understand and looked confused: "What ZJL? What does it mean?"

Zhao Jinglu paused as she wiped her sleeves, having not expected him to remember this detail. She looked up at Ling Peng's smiling eyes, her heart slightly moved, but she feigned a solemn expression. She sighed and said in a pretentious tone, "Alas, I've grown up, and my love has deepened."

After these words were spoken, there was a two-second pause, and then Zhang Hao and Sun Wei burst into laughter: "Hahaha! You love me so deeply! How old are you, little teacher?" Sun Wei slapped his thigh with joy.

Ling Peng couldn't help but laugh. He looked at Zhao Jinglu's feigned seriousness, yet her cunning eyes couldn't conceal it, and thought this girl was much more interesting to interact with than he'd imagined. She was quick to react, yet unpretentious. No wonder so many people were drawn to her; she had a quality that made people relax and happy.

Just as the laughter died down, Zhang Hao's phone rang. He took it out and looked at it. His expression became a little strange. He winked at Ling Peng and lowered his voice: "Brother Peng, your wife."

The laughter in the private room instantly died down. Ling Peng's smile also faded a little, and he nodded: "Take it."

Zhang Hao answered the phone, his tone extremely enthusiastic and even a little exaggerated: "Hello? Sister Siyu! Oh, I'm eating right now! Yes, with Brother Peng, Sun Wei, and... uh... an old classmate! Oh wow, it's lively! Don't worry!... Ah? You want to talk to him? Okay, okay..."

Zhang Hao said as he handed his phone to Ling Peng and mouthed silently, "Checking in."

The embarrassment on Ling Peng's face flashed away. He took the phone and spoke in a normal tone, but with a little less aggressiveness: "Hello, Siyu... Yeah, I'm eating... Got it... I'll be back soon... Okay, hanging up."

He spoke briefly, hung up, and handed the phone back to Zhang Hao. There was a moment of silence in the room, as if the lively atmosphere had been subtly interrupted.

Sun Wei quickly tried to smooth things over and raised his chopsticks: "Come on, the meat is melted! Eat quickly!"

The atmosphere perked up again, but the subtle distance of distant scrutiny and the resulting gap lingered briefly in the air. Zhao Jinglu lowered her head and silently ate her food, her earlier sense of relief fading slightly. Ling Peng subconsciously touched his nose, as if about to say something, but ultimately only used his serving chopsticks to scoop out another piece of luncheon meat that she had taken twice more than she had.

The hot pot still simmered, the smoke curling up, illuminating several young faces. The laughter of old friends reuniting was genuine, as was the sudden interruption from outsiders and the subtle awkwardness that resulted. After this meal, something seemed to have quietly advanced a step forward.