Actually, Xi Luting didn’t want to talk to Yu Yun about the gift; she felt somewhat uneasy about it.
Ham Bro hadn’t made it clear what it was. Although its weight suggested it wasn’t a toy, what if it was something inconvenient for others to know about?
The concern was genuinely present.
But constrained by Pan Ge’s pressure, she couldn’t afford to have another falling-out with Yu Yun.
The Pan Doufu sisters are so lovey-dovey. If our side starts fighting, won’t we just become a laughingstock for them?
So, she tried to downplay it as much as possible, reducing the gift’s significance.
"I didn’t buy it. A friend sent it to me."
"Wow, your friend is really good to you..."
Just as a leopard can’t change its spots, Yu Yun couldn’t stop her sly digs.
Even though she had decided to ally with Xi Luting for the time being, she still habitually set traps for her supposed ally.
"What friend? We’ve been close friends for two months now, and I’ve never heard you mention them once?"
Xi Luting shuddered, her scalp tingling from the question.
How should she answer? An online friend I co-write smutty CEO romance novels with?!
If they were in the dorm room, she could have found a way to gloss it over. But in front of Han Lie and Pan Ge... any explanation would sound bad!
Xi Luting narrowed her eyes, shooting Yu Yun a dagger-like look.
She said coldly, "And you know all my friends, do you?"
Yu Yun snapped out of it.
Oh dear, why am I picking a fight with Xi Luting? We should be united against a common enemy right now...
Yu Yun quickly changed her tune. "Never mind who it is! You have so many admirers, I can’t be bothered to keep track of them all. I’m just curious about what they sent~~~"
She thought her flattery skills were quite impressive.
See? Our Ting Ting is never short of suitors; she’s highly sought after!
It was also a hint for Han Lie: our class monitor is no simple girl, so you’d better watch out!
Han Lie pretended not to hear, keeping his head down and focusing on his food.
Stop meddling. I know the guy. Their relationship... it’s complicated, you wouldn’t get it! ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴovᴇl(ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt
Pan Ge and Tofu exchanged a glance and both smiled.
Pan Ge’s smile was gentle and serene, while Tofu’s was mischievous.
While smiling, Pan Ge also complimented Xi Luting, "It’s perfectly normal. Ting Ting has always been very popular, and it’s the same in the student council."
Xi Luting felt a headache coming on. She flipped the recipient’s copy of the delivery slip over and pressed it onto the table.
"It’s just some jewelry. I asked a friend to buy it for me. It’s not from an admirer."
She didn’t want to be misunderstood as someone who casually accepted gifts.
What would people think? Inviting this jerk for breakfast while accepting gifts from other admirers?
Showing off about this in front of Pan Ge would be beyond embarrassing.
Xi Luting could endure anything except being a laughingstock for Pan Ge.
Yu Yun’s eyes lit up, her interest genuinely piqued.
"You bought it? What kind of jewelry is it? Quick, open it and let me see!"
Her request wasn’t unreasonable.
Among close girlfriends, opening packages together was perfectly normal.
Chattering excitedly while unboxing doubled the fun.
Xi Luting was dumbfounded.
She wasn’t a good liar; usually, she used her assertiveness to suppress disagreements.
But today was just a string of bad luck, one mishap after another. She’d only wanted a quiet meal and a chat with that jerk, but who knew they’d end up with such a full table?
If she strongly objected now, it would look like she had something to hide. What would that jerk and Pan Ge think?
Maybe if... No, no! Absolutely not! I can’t open it here. Who knows what’s actually inside?
Xi Luting made up her mind and quickly found an excuse. "I’ll show you when we get back. If you like it, you can even borrow it for a couple of days. I don’t have a box cutter. How am I supposed to get through all that tape now?"
Her expression was very calm, her tone light, projecting an air of utter blamelessness.
Yu Yun furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"
"Ah! I have an idea!"
Xi Luting watched, dumbstruck, as Yu Yun excitedly turned around, dug an eyebrow razor out of her small shoulder bag, and held it up in front of her like a prized treasure.
"Ta-da! Problem solved!"
Thanks a fucking bunch!
Seeing Yu Yun about to press down on the gift box, Xi Luting tensed up and hurriedly stopped her.
"Don’t mess around! That tape is so thick. What if you cut your hand with that tiny little blade?"
Her concern was palpable.
Realizing Xi Luting had a point, Yu Yun obediently relented, even flashing her an ingratiating smile.
She particularly liked Xi Luting’s domineering, strong-woman persona.
The "strong woman" watched Yu Yun put the eyebrow razor away and secretly sighed in relief.
Just as she was congratulating herself, a multi-functional Swiss Army knife was suddenly pushed across the table towards her.
Xi Luting’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, her mouth agape in an O-shape from shock.
Then, she saw that jerk lower his head again to tackle his beef noodles, his good deed done in stealth.
"Here, use this. Don’t mention it."
Keep your damn knife!
Xi Luting was completely flustered, her stomach churning with anger. "Wait... you were just out for a morning jog. Why would you be carrying something ?!"
"The lower floors aren’t very quiet. I carry it for self-defense," Han Lie said casually, but two people immediately understood.
One was Xi Luting; she had heard many stories about the misdeeds of the international relations students in the student council.
The other was Pan Ge; she hadn’t just heard about them, she had personally seen boys from her class bullying others.
Xi Luting’s anger suddenly turned into a pang of sympathy.
So, that jerk’s life wasn’t so easy either...
Just as she was about to offer some words of comfort, a sudden CLICK startled her back to her senses.
She whipped her head around...
Big Naiyun had already flicked out the saw blade from the Swiss Army knife and, with one hand pressing down on the box, was eagerly getting ready to cut.
As she sized it up, she declared with glee, "This is exciting! I love this kind of unknown joy!"
Sister Ting was completely numb.
Damn it! You’re all like debt collectors from a past life! How much could I possibly have owed you all? Fine, I give up. Open it!
Xi Luting decided to just resign herself to it; there was truly no excuse left to stop them.
It’s probably some kind of ring or hoop anyway. They can ask whatever they want; if they ask, it’s an earring! If it’s a chain... a short one is an anklet, a long one, a waist chain!
She had made up her mind, but she still couldn’t help feeling apprehensive.
Amidst the apprehension, there was also a flicker of anticipation.
Ham Bro was a truly talented and fascinating person, almost like a mentor to her.
What kind of gift would he send?
The RRRIP, RRRIP of tearing sounded continuously, followed by two THUDS, as Yu Yun impatiently pried open the cardboard.
Inside lay a small, pink gift box.
"Ooh! Such a cute gift box!"
Yu Yun was pleasantly surprised, and Xi Luting silently nodded in agreement.
The box was indeed beautiful; you could tell Ham Bro had chosen it with care.
Yu Yun picked up the gift box and shook it gently.
It was very light and made no rattling sound when she shook it.
She muttered, then eagerly opened the lid.
Yu Yun’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, and she froze, completely stunned.
Judging by her expression, the item inside was either incredibly valuable or utterly unexpected.
Everyone’s curiosity was piqued, except for Han Lie.
As for Xi Luting, alongside her curiosity, a strong wave of unease suddenly washed over her.
Did I... take this too lightly?!