After the evening self-study session ended, they stayed in the classroom for a bit before heading to the campus convenience store.
Because Tang Yan lost a bet, she had to treat everyone to a soda every night this week.
Xiaoyanzi had her own little savings, so this expense wasn't much to her.
There were a few casual tables set up in the open space outside the store. After finding an empty table and sitting down, Tang Yan asked, "What sodas do you guys want?"
"Arctic Ocean!"
Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing almost said in unison.
"You guys are really in sync, worthy of being childhood friends, even the soda taste is the same!"
Tang Yan gave them a sidelong glance and then turned to Lu Haoran: "What about you?"
"Me, I'll have anything, the cheapest is fine!"
Lu Haoran was a bit embarrassed.
This was the first time a girl was treating him to a soda.
Also the first time walking with a girl, and the first time a girl helped with getting water.
Lu Haoran realized all three of his firsts were with Tang Yan.
Even if it was because of Su Zelin and Qin Shiqing, he still felt a warm feeling in his heart, and the more he looked at Tang Yan, the prettier she seemed. Her dashing bob haircut was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye.
How come I never noticed before how good-looking Xiaoyanzi is...
"No opinion at all!"
Tang Yan snorted, stood up, and swayed her hips as she walked into the store.
A straightforward person felt at a loss.
Did I accidentally say something wrong again?
Had I known, I would have just asked for an Arctic Ocean like Zelin, 55555...
"Dummy, go help with the sodas!"
Su Zelin lowered his voice.
Haoran really didn't pick up on hints.
Such a good chance to impress, and he didn't even notice.
"Ah, um... okay, I'm going right now!"
Lu Haoran realized belatedly and followed: "Xiaoyanzi, you can't carry that many, let me help."
Tang Yan was slightly surprised.
Lu Haoran was far from smooth-talking like Su Zelin, but he was quite warm-hearted.
"Boss, two Arctic Oceans, two Dabailisi, all chilled!"
In such hot weather, she didn't need to ask anyone else; everyone wanted chilled drinks to cool down.
Anyone drinking room-temperature soda now would be peculiar.
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
Soon enough, four bottles of chilled soda were ready.
Dabailisi is a fruity soda by Wangzai, perfect for kids and students. Its packaging features a cute cartoon girl, and many girls like it just for that reason.
Opening the caps and inserting straws, Tang Yan held two Arctic Oceans while Lu Haoran took the Dabailisi back to the table.
Su Zelin was the first to grab an Arctic Ocean, tossing the straw aside, and gulped down several big mouthfuls right from the bottle.
The cold soda flowed down his throat into his stomach, making him shiver: "Refreshing!"
On campus, there's nothing better than enjoying a chilled soda on a hot summer day.
The two girls, of course, were not as bold and sipped slowly through their straws.
Lu Haoran wanted to try it out too, so he removed the straw.
Between sipping and gulping, he chose the latter.
Su Zelin thought using a straw was too girly and not manly enough.
Lu Haoran didn't think too much, but he felt like following his buddy's lead couldn't be wrong.
After two gulps of Dabailisi, aside from the sweet Asian pear flavor, there was also a light fragrance.
This was Lu Haoran's first time trying this soda, and he found it quite tasty.
Turns out Xiaoyanzi likes Dabailisi, I'll treat her to this next week.
A cool breeze blew under the locust tree, and the four young people enjoyed their rare leisure moment amidst their hectic schedules.
The four of them sat in consecutive rows in class, and having eaten together almost every day last week, their friendship deepened; now they could talk about anything.
Xiaoyanzi was the first to bring up the topic: "Time flies, graduation is almost here. Shiqing, you should be able to choose any domestic university, right? What about you, Su Zelin?"
"What else could I do, just aim for any second-tier university in the province!"
Su Zelin shrugged.
Tang Yan nodded; this was within her expectations.
Su Zelin's grades didn't leave much room for choice.
There are many universities in the province, and being a local gives him an edge in admissions and later job opportunities.
"Lu Haoran, what about you?"
Tang Yan's gaze once again turned to the little cutie.
Su Zelin, his close friend, had good grades in class, usually ranking in the top ten in mock exams, offering him plenty of options beyond the province.
"Me, I haven't decided yet, but I guess I'll stay within the province."
After answering, Lu Haoran felt a bit worried, afraid that Tang Yan would again criticize him for having no opinion!
Tang Yan nodded slightly, not making any sarcastic remarks this time.
"Guess what type of university I'm planning to attend, you definitely won't guess right!"
Xiaoyanzi teased with a mischievous smile.
"Finance?"
Lu Haoran eagerly joined in.
"Wrong!"
"Medicine?"
"Also wrong!"
"Electronic Technology?"
"Not interested!"
"Foreign Languages?"
"With my English level, I'd better forget it!"
"..."
They guessed several times in a row but couldn't guess correctly. Lu Haoran was at his wit's end: "I can't figure it out!"
"A teacher's college!"
At this point, Su Zelin pouted.
"How do you know?"
Tang Yan was surprised.
Lu Haoran was also surprised.
Few in the class would believe it if told.
Xiaoyanzi's temper was a bit fierce; no one would associate her with a teacher's college.
If she became a teacher after graduation and a student misbehaved in class, her mouth would fire off like a machine gun; the scene would be too vivid.
"Shiqing, did you tell Su Zelin?"
She had only discussed her college plans with Qin Shiqing.
"No!"
Qin Shiqing was quite surprised.
Because it really wasn't easy to guess.
However, this answer was quite simple for Su Zelin, because in a previous life, Hunzi knew Xiaoyanzi's university choice.
"Because I can read faces!"
Su Zelin blurted out.
"Xiaoyanzi, your face shows that you're meant to be a teacher, and you plan to apply to the provincial Teacher's College!"
Lu Haoran thought to himself, how come I didn't see that? Xiaoyanzi didn't seem like a teacher at all.
You might say she'd attend a police academy and become a strong woman who could tussle with the best of them, but not a teacher.
"Su Zelin, you got it right!"
Tang Yan had to admit.
"As for Haoran..."
Su Zelin pretended to study Lu Haoran for a while, then said in a mystical tone, "You will definitely apply to the provincial Institute of Technology!"
"Zelin, you really hit the nail on the head, I am kind of considering the Institute of Technology, but I haven't made up my mind yet!"
The honest guy was amazed.
A person like him, indeed, was more suited for engineering; focusing on technology without needing to sweet talk or flatter the boss.
No wonder his grandfather could win the lottery in a dream, the fortune telling was spot on!
"Haha, just a small trick!"
After a pause, Su Zelin added, "By the way, if there's no accident, your future girlfriend will be from Jianglan, and your universities will be in the same city!"
A girl from Jianglan, and studying in the same city?
Lu Haoran instinctively glanced at Tang Yan, and his heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Could it be...
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Impossible, Xiaoyanzi couldn't possibly fancy me...
Su Zelin did have the intention to match up his best friend with Xiaoyanzi, but he didn't make it an absolute statement.
If there are no surprises, Xiaoyanzi might become Haoran's girlfriend in this life, but with surprises, things would be different.
In any case, he'll do his best, so Lu Haoran won't have any regrets, preventing him from drunkenly complaining to himself one night in the future.
"Su Zelin, what do you think about Shiqing then?"
Xiaoyanzi became interested.
Fortune telling was quite mysterious, which aroused her curiosity.
"As for her..."
Su Zelin hesitated for a moment.
In his previous life, Qin Shiqing ended up studying at Zhejiang University within the province; he was sure of that.
Originally, the childhood sweetheart material was for Qing Bei, or at worst, Fudan University, but for some reason, her gaokao didn't go as expected, and after estimating her scores, she applied to Zhejiang University.
But what was strange was that although her performance was below her usual, she still had a good chance at Fudan University. Ultimately, her first choice was Zhejiang University, which many classmates couldn't comprehend. Her explanation was that her score estimate was conservative, worried about Fudan being unstable.
"Her destiny shows a very vague fate, I can't see it clearly, hmm, the greatest possibility is Qing Bei!"
After some deliberation, Su Zelin reached a conclusion.
"Shiqing, are you planning to apply to Qing Bei? Every time I ask you say you're not sure, but by now you should have some idea, right?"
Tang Yan had discussed this question with Qin Shiqing several times, but her best friend never gave a clear answer.
"Who can say for sure, it depends on the gaokao performance to decide!"
Qin Shiqing sipped her soda nonchalantly.
"You absolutely cannot mess up again!"
Su Zelin was a bit nervous.
"Mess up again?"
Tang Yan and Lu Haoran were a bit puzzled.
Qin Shiqing had always performed steadily in exams, when did she ever mess up?
Su Zelin cleared his throat, "Wasn't the third mock exam a mess-up? She only got second place in English."
"Tsk, Su Zelin, is this your indirect way of showing off?"
Tang Yan rolled her eyes.
"You got a perfect score in English, but it doesn't mean Shiqing messed up, her English score in the third mock was still higher than the second mock!"
"Right, there won't be any surprises, Qing Bei is a sure thing for Qin Shiqing. If she doesn't want to be too far from home, then it's Fudan University, one of those three for sure!"
Lu Haoran nodded in agreement.
"Su Zelin, then check again, what will Shiqing's future partner be like?"
Tang Yan was very curious.
High schoolers are somewhat clueless about love, this was a topic girls loved to chat about.
She felt it couldn't be Su Zelin.
Even though this kid and her best friend were childhood sweethearts, they mostly showed pure friendship when they were together.
They've played and gone to school together since they were little, crashing each other's houses for meals.
Su Zelin, despite being close, never showed even a hint of romantic interest in Qin Shiqing, if anything, he often made her angry.
Of course, her best friend couldn't possibly pursue Su Zelin either.
They weren't a match anyway.
After all, her best friend was too outstanding.
And Su Zelin was just a slacker.
Qin Shiqing's eyes also fell on Su Zelin.
"Hmm, this..."
Su Zelin thought for a moment, then said, "That guy will be a prestigious university graduate, quite refined, with a good temper, loyal in love, doesn't smoke or drink, has a good job, but doesn't like social engagements and will rush home after work to be with his girlfriend, no matter what, always wanting to be with her!"
Su Zelin tried to outline the picture of a good man, which was quite the opposite of himself.
"Wow, Shiqing, your future partner sounds amazing, just a little dull perhaps, but still great!"
Tang Yan clapped in admiration.
"Yeah, it's pretty good, but fortune telling isn't reliable, there's no scientific basis!"
Qin Shiqing finished off her soda in one go and stood up.
"It's getting late, let's head back to the dorm!"
"Shiqing, wait for me, I haven't finished drinking!"
Tang Yan also finished her soda and chased after her.
"Why did she suddenly leave?"
Lu Haoran was a bit puzzled but didn't think much of it.
"Zelin, tell me again, what will my future girlfriend be like?"
"She'll be tall for a girl, with a strong personality, decisive, and will keep you in check, Haoran, you poor henpecked husband!"
Su Zelin sighed.
Tall, strong personality, decisive.
The more he listened, the more Xiaoyanzi came to mind.
No, no, I must be overthinking it.
Xiaoyanzi couldn't possibly fancy me...
...