Online Romance with an Iceberg Professor Backfired - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Card Swipe
Ji Pei and Ye Wenzhu walked shoulder-to-shoulder, trailing behind Bai Yin and Jiang Xianhan.
Bai Yin was an enthusiastic girl and insisted on personally leading the three of them, talking animatedly all the way.
“I often go to this newly opened cafeteria. The Hunan restaurant on the second floor is incredibly delicious. I heard they hired a chef from Hunan province at a high price.”
Seeing Bai Yin’s high spirits, one might think the chef at the Hunan restaurant was her second aunt’s husband, given how actively she was promoting it.
With twenty minutes left until class dismissal, the four of them went up to the second-floor cafeteria. Bai Yin took out her textbooks from her backpack and secured a four-person table, then led the other three to queue.
Jiang Xianhan had never eaten in a cafeteria. Just as Bai Yin had blurted out, she rarely ate out. She usually cooked at home, enjoying life and getting some exercise.
A rich, savory aroma rushed over them. Ji Pei took two deep breaths, found the counter she liked, and stood behind a group of people to queue.
The cafeteria got increasingly crowded, and Ye Wenzhu accidentally became separated from Ji Pei.
Ji Pei, however, thought Ye Wenzhu was still standing behind her. She stared at the appealing chili-fried pork behind the counter’s glass and turned her head slightly.
“Wenzhu, that stir-fried beef with chili looks so delicious.”
No one answered. Ji Pei thought Ye Wenzhu must be on her phone and didn’t have time to respond.
Finally, it was Ji Pei’s turn. She pointed at the menu. “Auntie, I’ll have the stir-fried beef with chili, chili-fried eggs, and sweet and sour pork ribs.”
Ji Pei hadn’t eaten all day. Since stepping into the cafeteria, her stomach had been rumbling so loudly she could barely stand straight.
Sure enough, good-looking people attract attention everywhere. The cafeteria auntie was very chatty. She struck up a conversation, asked Ji Pei what grade she was in, and piled her tray high, the sweet and sour pork ribs almost tumbling off.
Ji Pei smiled and took out her phone, ready to scan the code. “I’m… in my second year.”
When she opened Alipay, she realized the QR code was missing from the cafeteria counter.
“Auntie, I don’t have my meal card. Can I scan the code?”
The auntie replied, “Student, the school has a new rule. The cafeteria no longer accepts QR code payments. Only meal cards are allowed.”
Ji Pei stood there holding her tray, at a loss. She could see the long line behind her through the glass, and her toes were nearly breaking through the sole of her shoe in embarrassment.
She could pay with WeChat or Alipay yesterday, but today it suddenly changed. All the QR codes were removed from the cafeteria counters, leaving only the card swiping machines. But her meal card was long expired. What should she do now?
Suddenly, a hand with distinctly defined knuckles reached out from behind her, holding a thin meal card. It brushed lightly past Ji Pei’s hair and tapped the card machine.
Beep—
Ji Pei instantly realized a kind person had paid for her. Her mouth drooped, and she was so touched she almost cried. She spun around and met Jiang Xianhan’s calm eyes.
“…”
When did Jiang Xianhan appear behind her?!
She thought the person standing behind her was Ye Wenzhu all along!
Where was Ye Wenzhu? Where did that girl go!
Beep—
Payment successful.
Ji Pei’s heart thumped rapidly with the sound.
Why did Jiang Xianhan have to be the one to pay for her?!
Ji Pei held her tray, dazed, and managed to whisper a thank you to Jiang Xianhan. She turned and rushed away with her head down, nearly bumping into a student at the next counter as she turned.
The new cafeteria was indeed very large and crowded. Ji Pei struggled to find the table they had claimed earlier.
After circling a few times, her arm tired from holding the tray, Ji Pei finally saw Ye Wenzhu, who was wearing a purple top, stand up and wave at her.
Jiang Xianhan had already returned to the table with her tray. Ji Pei, like a headless fly, spun around and about, only finding her seat when her food was nearly cold.
She sat down next to Jiang Xianhan, the seat reserved for her by the others.
Ji Pei gently sat down and placed her tray, but one of her hands was trapped underneath, and a piece of sweet and sour pork rib rolled onto the table.
She was about to wrap it in a tissue, but Ye Wenzhu skillfully grabbed it with her chopsticks and put it on her own plate.
“Don’t waste it! You can eat it if you pick it up within three seconds of it hitting the table.”
Ji Pei nodded. “Oh.”
She secretly glanced at Jiang Xianhan’s profile. Seeing that the professor was slowly and elegantly eating vegetables, Ji Pei held her breath and lowered her gaze.
Jiang Xianhan had ordered scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried broccoli. Nothing else.
In contrast, Ji Pei’s tray was overflowing with meat dishes, almost spilling out. The impression she was making… was not good.
Ji Pei immediately thought, Even if it’s not good, it can’t be as embarrassing as what happened yesterday.
Jiang Xianhan has such a good temper, Ji Pei thought. She had lied to the professor yesterday, yet the professor still paid for her meal.
Back when she was in school, ever since Ji Pei distanced herself from Xie Zhen, she and Ye Wenzhu were inseparable. They always ate together. They would routinely order six different dishes and then mix and share them, so one person got to eat six kinds of food.
But now…
In front of the other two, Ji Pei really couldn’t do that.
Ye Wenzhu didn’t overthink it. She used her chopsticks to take two pieces of Ji Pei’s sweet and sour pork ribs and put them on her own plate. “These ribs are delicious, sweet and sour. You should try my shredded pork with fish-flavored sauce; it’s so fragrant.”
Seeing Ji Pei not moving, Ye Wenzhu assumed she was trying to be polite in front of others and personally put a piece into Ji Pei’s bowl with her chopsticks.
Bai Yin sighed at the sight. “Oh, eating with your best friend is the best! You can gossip and stuff.”
Ye Wenzhu took out her phone, opened her WeChat QR code, and put it in front of Bai Yin. “Senior, let’s add each other as friends. I’ll transfer the food money to you later.”
Bai Yin, eating her eggplant and rice, waved her hand repeatedly. “No, no, no need! It’s just a few dollars. Consider it my treat.”
Although she refused the money, Bai Yin still added Ye Wenzhu as a friend.
Ye Wenzhu smiled. “I own a flower shop. Senior, if you ever want to buy flowers, come to my shop. I’ll give them to you for free!”
Bai Yin’s eyes curved in a smile. “Great! I’ll visit your shop sometime.”
Ye Wenzhu chewed and complained, “What’s with the school? Suddenly no more scanning codes, insisting on swiping cards. Luckily, I was next to Senior, or I would have been so embarrassed.”
At the mention of this, Ji Pei buried her head even lower. Jiang Xianhan had paid for her meal.
Ye Wenzhu focused on Ji Pei. “Your card is expired, isn’t it? How did you pay?”
Just what I was afraid of.
Ji Pei wanted to shoot a look at Ye Wenzhu under the table to tell her to shut up.
“Professor Jiang paid for me.”
Ji Pei glanced at Jiang Xianhan, who was eating methodically, and continued, “Professor Jiang, I’ll transfer the dinner money to you on WeChat now.”
Ye Wenzhu put on her gossip face again. She exchanged a look with Bai Yin, then subtly signaled to Ji Pei with her eyes.
Ji Pei understood the hint. She pursed her lips, blinked, and opened her phone.
She had saved Jiang Xianhan’s contact as “Demon Jiang.”
Knowing Jiang Xianhan was sitting right next to her, Ji Pei lowered her phone’s screen brightness.
“Professor Jiang, I forgot how much the meal cost…”
Jiang Xianhan wiped her light red lips with a wet tissue and said, “Don’t bother.”
Ji Pei didn’t want to owe her. She swore she would never come to A University again. Every time she came, she ran into Jiang Xianhan. It was as if they had some inescapable connection.
“But…”
Jiang Xianhan picked up her empty tray and left.
Bai Yin saw Ji Pei’s hesitant expression and leaned over to whisper to her, “It’s fine, just let it go. People of Professor Jiang’s caliber have more money than they can spend on their card. She doesn’t mind us using it. She could pay for the whole cafeteria and still have plenty left over.”
Bai Yin was Jiang Xianhan’s teaching assistant, running errands for her. She had put in a lot of hard work. Every day, Jiang Xianhan would give Bai Yin her staff card to buy food and water at the cafeteria, essentially covering Bai Yin’s three meals a day.
Ji Pei felt uncomfortable. She wasn’t the type to take small advantages. She didn’t have much interaction with Jiang Xianhan, so it would be better to pay the money back.
“But I’m not close to Professor Jiang, and I probably won’t see her again. I don’t want to owe her.”
Ji Pei’s voice was low, but Jiang Xianhan, who had just placed her tray and chopsticks away and was now standing behind her, heard it.
Bai Yin remained leaned in, saying, “It’s alright. Professor Jiang’s family is in the jewelry business. You can’t even imagine how rich she is.”
Ye Wenzhu exclaimed in surprise, “In the jewelry business? Then the family must be rolling in dough! But speaking of which, Ji Pei, how did you even get Professor Jiang’s WeChat?”
Ji Pei glanced guiltily at Bai Yin. “That… I’ll tell you the full story when we get back.”
Jiang Xianhan saw the two of them leaning so close together. Her long, upturned eyes behind her glasses narrowed slightly. She then coughed lightly twice.
The moment she heard the cough, Ji Pei stiffly straightened her body, her hand clutching her chopsticks tightening slightly.
The other two, who were happily chatting, also stopped smiling and quickly started eating, leaving not a single grain of rice in their bowls.
Bai Yin knew that Jiang Xianhan hated food waste the most and had even published a paper on saving food. So, she dared not waste food in front of Jiang Xianhan.
Ji Pei ate every last bit of food on her tray, then took out a tissue to wipe the table clean. She followed Bai Yin and the others to place her tray in the recycling area.
Jiang Xianhan observed all these actions. She followed the group out of the aisle, and people greeted her all the way.
“Professor Jiang.”
“Good evening, Professor Jiang.”
“Professor Jiang is eating dinner at the cafeteria too.”
Jiang Xianhan responded politely to all these greetings, showing no sign of the arrogance or coldness Ji Pei had imagined. This was completely different from the ruthless, self-important Jiang Xianhan of the campus legends. Could the rumors about her have been fabricated?
The ground-floor cafe had ice cream, and this time, they could use mobile payment instead of card swipe.
Ji Pei ordered four different-flavored ice creams. She gave one to Bai Yin first, then one to Ye Wenzhu.
The last one was the most perfectly made and beautiful, a pale strawberry pink, adorned with colorful sprinkles.
Ji Pei took it and walked over to Jiang Xianhan. She inexplicably felt that this little pink sweetheart was a perfect fit for the professor.
Cold on the outside, but actually warm on the inside…
Ji Pei shivered violently. She really didn’t dare to compare pink with Jiang Xianhan’s actual inner world.
Bai Yin bit into the sprinkles on her ice cream. Seeing Ji Pei holding the ice cream out to Jiang Xianhan, she quickly spoke up. “Ji Pei, Professor Jiang doesn’t eat outside ice…”
Before Bai Yin could finish her sentence, Jiang Xianhan had already accepted the pink strawberry ice cream Ji Pei offered.