I don’t know whether these guys had planned it together or if it was just a coincidence, but after grilling a few rounds, everyone unanimously decided that I’d be in charge of the barbecue.

The girls from the nursing department even volunteered to skewer the beef and chicken wings. They claimed that would let me “focus on grilling in peace.”

“Gotta be honest, you grill really well. Have you studied this before?”

“I’ve ordered barbecue a few times, but none of it tasted as good as yours. I seriously don’t get it. We’re using the same seasoning, so why does yours taste better?”

“Xiaoxue, be my girlfriend. Please, wahhh…”

With no other choice, I sat beside the largest bonfire. I put seven or eight people’s worth of meat on the grill at once and began my busy maid duty.

It wasn’t that my cooking was particularly delicious. It was just that none of you knew how to do it. Compared to yours, mine naturally seemed better.

I thought helplessly to myself.

It was a little like making a tall person out of a short one.

I knew my own abilities very well. I was definitely no so-called “master chef,” and even less of a “barbecue expert.” I simply had more grilling experience than these students because of the memories from my previous life.

Most freshmen had only just turned eighteen. They had just graduated from high school, so it was perfectly normal for them to have never learned or done many things.

What university was supposed to teach them was precisely this sort of social know-how and everyday life skills.

The situation was a bit like this:

A few clueless kids ran up a mountain to dig for sweet potatoes. After digging up a huge pile, they had no idea how to eat them.

Then a high school boy came along. He’d seen his parents roast sweet potatoes at home, so he immediately ordered the kids to start a fire and roast them.

Once the sweet potatoes were done, they split them among themselves. Everyone then decided that this big brother knew everything and that the things he roasted tasted amazing.

“Xiaoxue, do you know these two people?”

While brushing the meat with oil, a boy from Software Class One came over with his phone and showed me the screen.

“Of course.”

I glanced at the two people displayed on it and answered casually, “The protagonist and supporting character from the Yuan Long novel. Wang Sheng and Song Ming.”

“Do you think… they suit each other?”

The boy looked at me with a smug, conspiratorial smile.

I glanced in confusion at the boys behind him. They all looked as if they were waiting for something.

After a moment’s hesitation, I asked, “Suit each other how?”

“Don’t you think they look like a couple?”

The boy who had asked before added, “Like the seme and uke, or something?”

“Oh, you mean that.”

I smiled. “That depends on how the official material defines them. I’m just an anime fan. I don’t read the novels.”

“You don’t like pairing characters together?”

“Not usually.”

I turned back and focused on the barbecue again.

“Why are you asking?”

“She really isn’t into that stuff! Do you believe us now?”

The boy who had questioned me turned proudly to the others behind him.

“I told you, didn’t I? Bi Xinxue is the perfect kind of girl. She’s pretty, cute, gentle, kind, and considerate. You guys refused to believe me and said she was only pretending!”

“Looks like it’s true. I heard from some people in the QQ group that she’s nice to her roommates too. Even Song Huijie—the biggest gossip in their dorm—gets along well with her.”

“Shh… Isn’t it rude to badmouth someone here?”

“What I mean is… I’m falling for her.”

If you’re falling for me, hurry up and place your order! I’m free tomorrow, the day after, and even all weekend. The price hasn’t gone up yet, so order now!

Their discussion nearly made me laugh.

“Girls like this are practically extinct.”

“Yeah, yeah. I just don’t know what she likes… Xiaoxue!”

At that, one of the boys walked over.

“What are your usual hobbies? We could get to know each other a little.”

“I have quite a wide range of interests…”

“Xiaoxue?”

I was just about to answer when a wave of exclamations rose around us. A young man hurried over behind the group of boys and asked in surprise, “What are you doing here?!”

I raised my head and saw Wang Lei standing there in a trench coat. He was staring at us with pleasant surprise, a large bag of snacks and drinks hanging from one hand.

“We’re having a club activity.”

His pet-supply company really was near Shuiming Park, so his appearance here wasn’t strange.

I instinctively smiled.

“Did you come here to have fun too?”

“Yeah. I brought my girlfriend here for a barbecue.”

Wang Lei gestured toward the bag of drinks, then glanced at the students watching us curiously.

“Why are all of you just standing around while Xiaoxue does all the work?”

“Her cooking tastes too good.”

A girl from the nursing department answered, “We can’t get the same flavor when we grill it ourselves.”

“Come on. I didn’t know how to do anything back in college either. I learned and worked alongside everyone else.”

Wang Lei looked a little pained.

“You’re all just waiting to eat? Don’t you feel bad?”

“It’s fine.”

I quickly waved my hand from the side.

“They prepared all the skewers. I handle the grilling. Everyone has a clear division of labor.”

Come to think of it, the Tokisaki Kurumi school uniform I was wearing had also been given to me by Wang Lei. Though I doubted he remembered that anymore.

“Is Wang Lei your boyfriend, Xiaoxue?”

One of the boys seemed to notice something and asked in surprise, “You actually have a boyfriend? I thought…”

“Don’t get the wrong idea.”

I glared at him.

“He’s just an old friend. Didn’t you hear him say he came here to eat barbecue with his girlfriend?”

“Right.”

The boy immediately understood and made room for Wang Lei.

“Which school are you from?”

“I’ve already graduated. I’m doing an internship.”

Wang Lei didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat down directly beside the boy.

“Are all of you her classmates?”

“I am.”

Tan Yong raised his hand, then pointed at Li Ruilong beside him.

“The class monitor is too. The others are from another class. We’re holding a mixer.”

“Oh, got it. My class used to do those too.”

Wang Lei nodded, then looked at me.

“What a coincidence. Has Liang Zhiming booked you again since then?”

“Once.”

“Only once?”

“Yeah. Just once.”

Seeing that the meat skewers in my hand were nearly done, I picked up the brush and began applying seasoning.

I joked, “Was my service not good enough? Did he go complain to you?”

“Not at all. I’m not anything to him. Even if he wanted to complain, he wouldn’t come to me.”

Wang Lei laughed.

“And if even you can’t satisfy him, then I doubt there’s a girl on Hualimao who can. Don’t let Liang Zhiming fool you with all that talk about liking anime. In real life, he’s still a total looks addict.”

“Every girl on Hualimao who’s as popular as you has probably been heavily edited. He definitely wouldn’t like that.”

“Want some?”

I placed the finished skewers onto several trays, then casually handed two to Wang Lei.

“Sure. Let me try them.”

He took one and bit into it without hesitation.

“Not bad. It tastes like the food from that hotel chef I had last night.”

After a few bites, Wang Lei gave me a thumbs-up.

“Did you teach yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“I’d better not disturb you. If my girlfriend sees me here later, she’ll get angry again. She’s practically a walking vinegar bottle. I can’t even talk to one of the female employees at the shop without making her jealous.”

After finishing the skewer, Wang Lei stood up.

“I’m guessing Liang Zhiming will book you again over the next couple of days.”

“Huh?”

I looked at him in confusion.

“He still hasn’t gotten over it?”

“It’s not that easy. He was hurt pretty badly this time. After all, they’d been together for more than ten years.”

Wang Lei spoke as if he were discussing something completely ordinary.

“I know him too well. The reason he only booked you once was probably because he ran out of money. During the October National Day holiday, he spent almost all of it buying gifts for Wang Qian.”

“If I remember correctly, his family gives him his living expenses around the fifth of every month. That’s when his father gets paid.”

Your relationship really is something else…

“Also, let me tell you boys something. Xiaoxue doesn’t have a boyfriend, and she’s very easy to pursue. A few small gifts are enough to make her happy for several days.”

Wang Lei swallowed his final bite of meat and tossed the skewer into a trash bin nearby.

Then he gave the boys a meaningful look.

“You get what I mean?”

“Awesome!”

One of the boys caught on immediately.

“What should we call you, senior?”

“Just call me Neighbor Wang.”

What the hell was “Neighbor Wang” supposed to mean?!

And what were you all cheering “Awesome!” for?!

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up and moved to shove Wang Lei down the slope.

“Go, go, go! What do you mean I’m easy to pursue? I’m not easy to pursue!”

“Haha. You’re exactly the same as you were a few days ago. Not a bit has changed.”

“Don’t say things that can easily cause misunderstandings! I’ll go make trouble with your girlfriend later!”

…

The enjoyable barbecue ended in a lively atmosphere.

Since I had handled almost everyone’s grilling from start to finish, the class monitor exempted me from cleaning up, taking out the trash, and settling the bill.

That gave me time to return to school early and change.

“Ugh… I smell like smoke all over.”

Back in the dorm, I stripped off my clothes, underwear included, and put them into a bucket. Then I poured in some laundry detergent.

It was already six in the evening. If I took a thirty-minute shower, then changed and did my makeup before heading to the café, I’d probably arrive close to seven.

Hopefully the manager wouldn’t scold me…

Thinking helplessly, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

After this barbecue gathering, I’d once again gained a wave of goodwill from students in other classes. I’d also added several new WeChat and QQ friends.

It wasn’t just the boys. The girls from the nursing department seemed to have a pretty good impression of me too.

Several of them had even asked for my QQ number, saying they’d drag me along next time they held a barbecue or something similar.

I didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry.

I hadn’t actually eaten much during the barbecue. I’d only had a few skewers of meat and vegetables.

Perhaps I subconsciously felt that eating too much high-calorie food would make me gain weight. I stopped after eating roughly sixty percent full.

Besides, I hadn’t done much strenuous activity all afternoon. That amount was enough.

Once I got to the café, I could ask Lin Ruilong for a few mantou. That should do the trick.

After showering, applying some fragrant lavender body lotion, and putting on makeup, I looked at my rosy reflection in the mirror.

I was wearing only my underwear in the dorm.

Then I got up to retrieve my maid outfit.

—Yep. Today was another day of being a burly man.