In the early morning, sunlight streamed into the dormitory.
Mo Xiangwen was exhausted. He yawned at his bleary-eyed reflection in the mirror.
He grabbed a wet towel and scrubbed his face vigorously. The cold water jolted him awake for a moment, but he could feel the fatigue still lingering, merely pushed aside for now.
They had partied up for games last night. They held a massive early-game advantage, but his teammates insisted on overextending, letting the opponents stage a comeback.
They lost and had the nerve to rage, shouting, “No quitting in shame—win one more before we log off!”
When had he ever endured such frustration? They were even partying with Yan Nuoya, yet they still got stomped one-sidedly.
If not for scraping by with a win in brawl mode at the end, he doubted they would have logged off before the power outage.
Those guys needed to go on a diet; they were dead weight he couldn’t carry.
As a result, the novel chapter he had planned to write last night—and the documents to submit alongside the studio project application—remained untouched, not a single word penned.
Fortunately, it was Saturday, and there were no classes.
He decided to grab breakfast first, then return to crank out some words.
Opening the wardrobe, he abandoned the idea of changing into long pants.
No plans today—just a quick breakfast run—so comfort was key.
He threw on a clean T-shirt to pair with yesterday’s gym shorts, slipped into flip-flops, and headed out.
It was still before the morning rush, so the lines in front of the cafeteria had only a few scattered people.
He picked the shortest queue and ordered a bowl of wonton noodles at the window.
Scanning the room for a seat, he saw plenty of empty spots. But out of habit, he preferred a corner along the edge.
His gaze paused when it swept over the window seats. A familiar figure sat there alone.
It was Yan Nuoya.
She had her head down, a bowl in front of her, eating quietly.
Mo Xiangwen’s steps faltered. Should he go over? Or find somewhere else? After two seconds of hesitation, he carried his tray toward her.
“Morning, Nuoya.”
He sat down across from her. Only then did he notice that her breakfast was a bowl of vegetable lean meat porridge.
The porridge was thick and hearty, topped with green vegetable leaves and fine shreds of lean meat. Steam rose from it, making it look quite appetizing.
Yan Nuoya seemed mildly surprised. She paused mid-sip.
She pulled a tissue from the small bag beside her, dabbed at her mouth, and only then lifted her head to look at him.
“Morning, Xiangwen.”
Noticing his gaze, she followed it to her bowl and curved her lips into a faint smile. “If you want to try it, you can order your own.”
She paused, her smile turning teasing. “Unless…?”
“Too little for me—you eat it,” Mo Xiangwen replied with a calm smile. “If I want some, I can just order another bowl.”
“But for you, Nuoya, is a single bowl of porridge enough nutrition? You should take better care of yourself.”
Under her surprised gaze, he picked up his tray of wonton noodles and set it down next to her porridge bowl.
“If you don’t mind, Nuoya, I’ve got plenty of wontons here, and I haven’t touched them yet. Want to try some?”
Ever since they had eaten cold noodles together outside the scenic area last time, he knew that despite her slim figure, her appetite was perfectly normal for a girl.
Her own bowl of porridge might even be a bit much for her.
Yan Nuoya pursed her lips and stared at him in silence.
Same mischievous streak as yesterday, she thought, feeling a touch annoyed.
Mo Xiangwen smiled in satisfaction and reached to take the noodles back—only to see Yan Nuoya spring into action.
“Sure, just wait a sec.” She stood and walked off.
As he wondered what she was doing, she soon returned with a small bowl and a spoon.
“Then thanks, Classmate Mo Xiangwen.” She set the bowl in the middle of the table with a light laugh.
…This girl was way too confident. Given his personality, the most he’d do was fire back with a tease.
He pressed his tongue against his teeth; the faint sting sharpened his thoughts a little.
“Feel free to add as much as you like, Classmate Yan,” he said with a cheerful grin. “If it’s not enough, I can order more. No need to hold back with me.”
Yan Nuoya fell silent for a moment, then actually started scooping wontons into the bowl—one after another.
No, the two of them weren’t alike at all.
By the fourth one, Mo Xiangwen sighed inwardly and spoke up. “Careful, or you’ll stuff yourself.”
He didn’t mind—he could always order another—but he worried she’d force it down and upset her stomach.
This was better for both of them.
In perfect unison, they dropped the subject. They silently pulled their bowls back toward themselves.
Still, Mo Xiangwen noticed that compared to yesterday when everyone was around, she seemed far more relaxed now.
“I come to the cafeteria for breakfast around this time every day,” he said casually after a moment of quiet. “But this is the first time I’ve run into you here.”
“Yeah, I usually come earlier,” Yan Nuoya replied with a light nod. “I slept in today.”
He suspected it had something to do with him coaxing her to stick around for a couple more games last night.
Solo queue hell was too miserable to endure alone.
With Yan Nuoya there, at least his experience wasn’t a total disaster.
Feeling a pang of guilt, he averted his gaze and quickly changed the subject. “So after breakfast, back to the dorm?”
Amused by his expression, Yan Nuoya shook her head.
“No, I’m heading to the library to read.”
Mo Xiangwen blinked. The library?
Well, on second thought, it made sense. Yan Nuoya had always struck him as the bookish type.
Besides, she had mentioned in the group chat that she didn’t get along with her roommates. It was only natural she wouldn’t want to linger in the dorm.
Come to think of it, he had never asked what she did outside of classes. He had no real reason or standing to pry.
Reading his expression, Yan Nuoya guessed his thoughts and smiled lightly. “I’m not so fragile that I need special concern.”
“Besides,” she added after a brief pause, “I actually like hanging out in the library.”
Even if she said that, being fussed over by a friend still lifted her spirits quite a bit.
“Come on, eat up before it gets cold,” she urged.
As if to prove she really didn’t mind, Yan Nuoya began sipping her porridge in small, delicate mouthfuls.
Fair enough, Mo Xiangwen thought. He decided to table the issue for now.
After all, he didn’t know the full details of her roommate troubles.
If he tried to come up with a solution on the spot, nothing suitable came to mind.
That said, before digging into breakfast, there was one thing he wanted to ask her.
“By the way, why was the clear reward a mug?”
Yan Nuoya paused slightly before whispering, “Who knows? Maybe it’s to make you drink more hot water?”
