AAUMOBIP C12

Chapter 12

“I’m not.” For a moment, Liu He panicked, but quickly regained his composure.

He explained, “All my toiletries are in this bathroom. I just came to wash up. Did I wake you?”

Yun Jingqiu shook his head. “No, I woke up naturally.”

That was fine then.

Smiling, Liu He said, “Yun Ge, I left your computer in the guest room. I’ll get going now, I need to return to the lab.”

“Why not have breakfast first before leaving?” Yun Jingqiu sounded somewhat reluctant, trying to keep Liu He there.

“No, if I leave now it’ll still take some time to reach the lab. The old professors in the lab won’t wait around,” Liu He said with a smile.

There were bacterial culture data he needed to record, and since he had overslept today, time was already tight. If he didn’t get there soon, he would miss the scheduled recording time, which would make the experiment less rigorous.

Yun Jingqiu didn’t press further, only said: “Be careful on the way. If you’re short on time, just grab a cab. I’ll reimburse you.”

The clothes Liu He had changed out of yesterday had been washed and dried overnight. He changed back into them, tossed the worn pajamas into the laundry basket, and left through the front door.

The apartment complex was right outside the campus. It took less than ten minutes to walk to the university. Inside, there were campus shuttle buses that cost only one yuan, allowing him to quickly get to designated spots.

From Yun Jingqiu’s rented apartment to the lab, it took Liu He only a bit over ten minutes.

His phone chimed twice. Liu He pulled it out to check.

【187Boyfriend: What do you want for lunch?】

【187Boyfriend: Are you coming over for dinner tonight?】

【fon: Lunch at the cafeteria】

【fon: Today’s busy with experiments and data processing, so I won’t come by tonight】

【187Boyfriend: Fine】

【187Boyfriend: [Sad kitten emoji]】

Yun Ge had sent him a cute cat sticker.

Liu He chuckled. Just then, his alarm rang. He quickly entered the lab to begin experiments.

He recorded experimental data, set up several control trials, placed petri dishes into the refrigerator, then began writing his paper.

He exported the draft he had written last night from his cloud storage and dove into literature searching, continuing his work.

The ringing of bells echoed around him—class bell, dismissal bell, then the class bell again…

He lost count of how many cycles had passed. Eventually, the bells ceased, but Liu He remained immersed in the sea of academia.

Until the shrill sound of his phone broke the silence.

Startled, Liu He picked it up. Seeing the caller ID, he instinctively glanced at the time. A guilty feeling rose in him.

He answered.

“Yun Ge, I’m eating right now,” he lied smoothly, seizing the initiative.

It was already 1:15 in the afternoon.

“You little liar.” Yun Jingqiu’s voice came from the other end.

“I’m not lying, I really am eating. The cafeteria’s spicy stir-fry¹ is delicious,” Liu He said. “Tomorrow I’ll pack some and bring it over for you.”

But his tone was stiff when he lied—it was obvious.

Yun Jingqiu saw right through him. Still, hearing him mention food swayed him. He began ordering: “Less chili, less numbing spice, less oil. More vegetables. No processed meatballs, only beef. For noodles, get konjac noodles² as the staple.”

Liu He let out a breath of relief and nodded quickly. “Got it, I’ll remember.”

“Bringing me food is one thing. But you need to go eat right now.” Yun Jingqiu punctured his lie directly.

Liu He laughed sheepishly. “Okay.”

If not for Yun reminding him, he probably would’ve skipped lunch again.

That wasn’t right—he couldn’t keep troubling Yun with this.

So, Liu He set a daily noon alarm at twelve o’clock to remind himself to eat lunch, and another one at 5:30 p.m. for dinner.

Next time, he would definitely eat before Yun had to remind him!

While Liu He was writing, Yun Jingqiu had sent him multiple messages, which he missed entirely, let alone replied. No wonder Yun could always see through him so easily.

Liu He hadn’t realized—he wasn’t actually capable of lying.

Back when Yun was busy filming, he couldn’t even touch his phone at noon, so he hadn’t reminded Liu He much then.

But now it was different. With a month of rest for his arm, Yun had plenty of time to supervise Liu He’s meals every day.

He had never realized being supervised into eating meals could feel so sweet—and so painful.

By the time Liu He got to the cafeteria, the lunch rush was long gone. Only scattered students lingered, still picking out food.

He went to the spicy stir-fry counter, picked a few items into his bowl with tongs, and went to pay.

The total was 15.37 yuan. Payment method? … Intimate Pay.

Liu He immediately opened his wallet app—his own balance was down to single digits, not enough to cover the meal. The system automatically deducted from Yun’s linked card.

This was the first time he had used the card Yun gave him. Yun must have already received a notification of the deduction.

【187Boyfriend: Spicy stir-fry that cheap?】

【187Boyfriend: Did you just pick all veggies?】

【187Boyfriend: Get more meat. You’re too thin, you need to nourish yourself properly.】

As expected, Yun’s messages came in quickly.

Standing aside waiting for his number to be called, Liu He typed quickly: 【The school cafeteria is cheap. I did get meat, a lot actually.】

【187Boyfriend: Send a pic】

Yun didn’t believe him.

【fon: I’ll send one once I get my tray】

But in truth—there wasn’t much meat.

Liu He always tried not to spend others’ money. He was frugal, loading mostly vegetables. He hadn’t noticed his balance was too low, forcing the payment onto the Family Card—and now Yun was checking up on him!

Could he quickly go back and add meat? Or find a picture online?

Or maybe just come up with another excuse?

While his thoughts raced, the number-caller announced his tray. The cafeteria wasn’t crowded, so the food was served fast.

He carried his lunch to a table and sat down. The aroma was rich, the colors appetizing, the dish steaming hot…

At that moment, his friend Jiang Yi messaged:

【Jiang Yi: Lao Xu is so nice!】

【Jiang Yi: He even took me out for spicy stir-fry outside campus for lunch】

【Jiang Yi: Maybe he noticed I’ve been strapped for cash lately】

【Jiang Yi: [Picture]】

【fon: Good brother】

【fon: Lend me your pic real quick】

Jiang Yi truly was his best bro. What was that saying? “When you’re sleepy, someone brings you a pillow.”

Delighted, Liu He saved the picture, cropped out parts that could expose the setting—like the table QR code in the corner or the restaurant name. He left only the bowl and table surface.

Finished editing, he sent it.

【fon: See? Plenty of meat!】

【fon: Cafeteria is cheap, I’d never lie to you】

【187Boyfriend: Looks like a lot】

【187Boyfriend: All that for only fifteen?】

Liu He typed guiltily: 【It’s past lunch rush, this place was running a promo】

He didn’t know if Yun fully believed him, but at least Yun didn’t ask further.

Relieved, Liu He finished eating and went back to the lab, silently grateful for Jiang Yi’s timely help.

He usually did experiments in the main lab, while next door was a small office where he worked on papers. Sometimes, when Yun ordered him takeout, he ate in that office.

【Jiang Yi: I feel something’s off. Why’s Lao Xu treating me so well?】

【Jiang Yi: Did he notice I’m broke?】

【Jiang Yi: Scared me—turns out it’s our four-year anniversary, and he was just celebrating with me】

【Jiang Yi: I thought he found out I lost money to scams】

Liu He replied: 【If he’d noticed, he’d have asked directly. Why test you like that?】

【Jiang Yi: True】

At 5:30 p.m., Liu He’s alarm rang. He saved his paper, checked on the petri dishes, then left the lab.

He had acted before Yun could remind him—victory!

A grin spread on his face.

【187Boyfriend: Time for dinner】

【187Boyfriend: Xiao Song made chicken feet stew, you sure you don’t want to come?】

【187Boyfriend: He’s really good at cooking, are you really saying no?】

Yun had sent multiple messages, even attaching food pics.

He was good at taking photos—everything looked mouthwatering.

Liu He swallowed hard. He wasn’t very hungry yet, having eaten late. Still, the pictures tempted him.

He strolled to the cafeteria, picked some dishes from the self-service line, and checked out.

Liu He hadn’t lied—the cafeteria was indeed cheap. But that only applied to school-run counters. Outsourced stalls had prices similar to those outside campus.

The self-service section was one Liu He often frequented.

That night’s tray was three dishes and a soup (soup free). One meat, two veggies. Quite filling, costing just 12 yuan.

Of course, the payment still went through Yun’s card.

【187Boyfriend: Why’s it so cheap again?】

【187Boyfriend: Is your school’s food really that cheap?】

This time Liu He was confident. He snapped his own tray and sent it.

【fon: The school-run part really is cheap】

【fon: And the portions are good】

【fon: Can you save me two chicken feet? I want to try tomorrow】

Song Zhiyuan’s chicken feet stew looked too good—Liu He couldn’t resist.

【187Boyfriend: I ordered milk tea for you, sent to your dorm】

【187Boyfriend: Keep an eye out】

Yun avoided answering about the chicken feet.

Not giving him any?

【fon: Chicken feet!!】

【187Boyfriend: How about shrimp tomorrow?】

【187Boyfriend: Xiao Song said he’ll cook shrimp, even though it’s not crayfish season yet】

Crayfish season was best in June through August. It was only late March, still chilly—indeed not crayfish time.

But Yun had smoothly diverted Liu He’s attention.

【fon: I want to eat】

【187Boyfriend: Then I’ll wait for you tomorrow evening. Don’t forget to bring spicy stir-fry】

【fon: Okay】

They chatted a bit, confirming tomorrow’s dinner plans. Liu He then ate his meal happily, forgetting he’d been begging for chicken feet just minutes ago.

After dinner, he returned his tray and strolled leisurely back to the dorm. Around eight, he’d still need to check on the cultures before finally resting.

Right on time, the delivery guy handed him milk tea downstairs. He took a photo for Yun and headed upstairs.

But soon after sitting down, his phone rang.

Caller ID: Song Zhiyuan.

“Brother Song, why’re you calling me?” Liu He asked curiously.

On the other end, Song was swearing. “Sister-in-law, get down here! I can’t hold back Yun Ge!”

Footnotes:

1. Spicy stir-fry (麻辣香锅 má là xiāng guō): A popular Chinese dish where various meats, vegetables, tofu, and noodles are stir-fried with a numbing-spicy sauce made from chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. 
2. Konjac noodles (魔芋面 mó yù miàn): Low-calorie, gelatinous noodles made from the konjac root, often eaten for health or diet purposes.