“Chun Qiu! Use 100,000 Volts ⚡ on it! Thunderbolt—Yi Yao Shan Er Ling Qi Shi Ba Flash ⚡!!”  

Hua Xin’s mask had somehow slipped off, revealing her delicate features. She stood up excitedly, pointing at the patch of grass ahead, eyes sparkling with anticipation as she waited for Chun Qiu—lying lazily on the ground—to leap up like a certain electric mouse and unleash righteous fury.  

“Meow… (That’s Pikachu’s move.)”  

Chun Qiu just flicked its tail—its version of a reply.  

“Tch…”  

Hua Xin pouted, waving a long blade of grass teasingly across the cat’s face. But Chun Qiu remained utterly unimpressed, eyes firmly shut in blissful indifference.  

She tossed the grass aside and smirked—like she’d just remembered something brilliant.  

If the cat teaser didn’t work…  
Then it was time for her secret weapon! 😋  

She reached into her backpack, opened the innermost compartment, and pulled out a plastic bag containing the remaining third of her beef bun—still plump with filling. She’d only eaten the outer dough and a small bite of meat.  

With a triumphant glint in her eyes, she held the bun just above Chun Qiu’s nose.  

Sniff… sniff…  

The cat’s nose twitched—then it shot upright like a soldier on duty, white-gloved paws gently patting her hand (claws carefully retracted).  

“Hehe~”  

Crouching down, Hua Xin gazed at her fluffy little companion with pure adoration and placed the bun on the ground.  

“Go ahead, kitty—you can have the beef bun!”  

Chun Qiu: Munch munch munch munch munch!  

She’d originally planned to save it for dinner—mix the precious beef into rice porridge. After all, beef was a luxury item. 🥺  
But Hua Xin felt an instant bond with this cat. Who else had such a sweet, affectionate “Hakimi”? Not Keycap—GOOD CAP! 😡  

Clearly, her soul was so pure and noble that animals were naturally drawn to her. (Proudly.)  
All the “impurities” had already been thoroughly expelled. 😋  

Watching the cat eat… she started feeling hungry too.  

Chun Qiu devoured the bun in seconds, then sat primly licking its pink paws and smoothing its whiskers.  

Hua Xin scooped the cat into her arms and sat on the wooden bench of the pavilion, seriously considering smuggling it home.  

She’d always wanted a Hakimi—but online adoption was too expensive, and she never went outside enough to encounter wild “pocket monsters” hiding in the bushes. So far, her only summer pets had been mosquitoes.  

“Meow! (Bro Biao, save me! 😭)”  

Suddenly, a loud, dramatic cry echoed from afar.  

Chun Qiu’s ears perked up instantly—as if summoned by fate—it wriggled free from Hua Xin’s embrace and dashed toward a large orange tabby appearing in the distance.  

Hua Xin: “??”  

Wait—she hadn’t even bought a Poké Ball yet! 😰  

In a blink, both cats vanished, leaving only Hua Xin standing alone in the wind, utterly bewildered.  

“…Whatever. I’ll come back later.”  
“You ate my bun… you’re not getting away that easily! (Confidently)”  

She picked up the empty plastic bag, tucked it back into her backpack—reusable as a trash bag later—and stepped out of the pavilion, ready to explore campus.  

First priority: find the classroom building.  
That way, after recording Xia Yan and Lin Qingyu’s despicable public display, she could march straight to the counselor’s office and file a formal complaint.  

The days of being too stupid to fight back after getting hit? Over. (Cold laugh.)  
Get ready for your internet cancellation!  

“Hmm?”  

Just as she stepped out of the grove, she spotted a familiar-yet-unfamiliar figure.  

“Dong Miao! 😡”  

Her eyes turned icy. Seeing that silhouette, she instinctively reached for an imaginary knife to stab him in the back.  

Better retreat first… pull up navigation on my phone…  

She tiptoed backward, aiming to vanish into the woods and avoid Xia Yan’s wrath.  

“Hua Hua?”  
“How’d you get here by yourself?”  

Xia Yan’s voice—warm, surprised, and unmistakably close—rang out behind her.  

😨  

Hua Xin froze like she’d been struck by the Dim Mak pressure-point technique.  

Does he have eyes on the back of his head?!  

Wait—!  

She frantically yanked a mask from her pocket and tugged it over her face, sweat beading on her brow as she yanked her hood lower, completely concealing her identity.  

She’d taken it off to cuddle the cat—if he recognized her now…  

(A hand lands on her shoulder.)  
(An electric current—like she’s about to be dissected—courses through her body.)  

“It really is you, Hua Hua.”  

Xia Yan smiled, recognizing her signature oversized hoodie-and-mask combo. He’d actually planned to pick her up at noon—treat her to another meaty meal, then catch the afternoon performance together on the field.  

But he never expected…  
Hua Xin would come to campus on her own!  

“Why didn’t you tell me? If you wanted to come, just call me!”  

(Yeah, right—so I can watch you making out with someone?! 😭👊🏻 Are you brain-dead?)  

“Why’s your clothes covered in fur?”  
“Did you meet a cat?”  

(Eep! He’s touching me! He’s touching me! 😭)  

Xia Yan, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, grabbed her sleeve and started walking, chatting cheerfully:  

“Listen, Hua Xiong—I’ve gotta tell you! Our campus has tons of cats. They’re even split into three factions…”  
“The strongest is this tabby—just a youngster, but crazy tough. Leads a big orange and a black cat to rule the entire East Campus…”  
“We all call him Sang Biao.”  

But Hua Xin heard none of it—her mind was chaos.  

(Don’t drag me! Where are we going?! 😭)  
(Where’s security?! Teachers?! Someone help!)  
(Sang Biao?! His nickname is Sang Biao?! Is he gonna beat people with pipes and conquer the East?! 😨)  

“Hey, did you eat breakfast?”  

Xia Yan released her sleeve and dangled a plastic bag in front of her—steaming buns and fresh soy milk inside.  

“Beef buns and freshly ground soy milk. My treat.”  

(Ding! Alert: Your sentence contains the keyword “bun.” This constitutes food-based temptation of Hua Xin. Brain override initiated. 🤓👉 ACTION CONFIRMED!)  
(You said “bun,” didn’t you? Beef buns are clearly the most delicious food in existence…)  

Hua Xin’s eyes instantly transformed into shining stars as she stared at the soft, pillowy buns.  

Xia Yan chuckled—half heartbroken, half amused by her reaction.  

“Come on, follow me upstairs.”  
“By the way… didn’t you know we were originally assigned to the same dorm? 🤔 Doesn’t that make this kinda like… coming home?”  
“Our beds are right next to each other…”  

Still smiling, he walked into the dormitory building, slowing his pace so she could keep up.  

Now mentally hijacked by the promise of food, Hua Xin numbly stared at the sign: “MALE DORMITORY.”  

…Had he brought her to the Demon King’s Palace?!  

Memories flooded back—wild dreams of moxa smoke, birthing soccer teams, endless nights of “parking at Maple Forest Evening”…  

She shook her head violently, banishing the fantasies.  

This was reality!  

Fine! She’d go in! 😡  
If this was her last meal before execution…  
She’d eat it. 😭