Tsundere Campus Goddess and Rogue Master

C33 – Don’t Waste the Food

At the grand podium in front of the conference square, the elderly chancellor of Forest City University delivered a nearly two-hour lecture on freshman orientation, much to the agony of the new students. With their strained attention, they watched as he concluded his speech and descended from the stage.

Next, a middle-aged man with the bearing of a chief military instructor ascended the podium. With a brief address, he dismissed the young instructor who had been standing there for quite some time to take charge of his class and commence military training.

“Class Four of the Traditional Chinese Medicine System, pay attention,” a stern-faced instructor with a buzz cut, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, commanded the students in Wang Xiao’s class from a corner of the basketball court. “My name is Li, but you will address me as Instructor Lee. Starting today, I’m responsible for your training.”

The young women, fresh from the rigors of high school and yet to savor the promise of college life, were visibly shaken by Instructor Lee’s declaration. They stood rigidly, casting anxious glances in his direction.

“Good morning, Instructor Lee!” they greeted in unison, their voices tinged with nervousness.

Instructor Lee, unmoved by their trepidation, maintained a stern demeanor. Without a hint of leniency, he ordered the students of Traditional Chinese Medicine System Class Four to begin their stance training.

The morning flew by, and as the training session wrapped up, each member of Class Four trudged wearily toward the dining hall.

“Man, Instructor Lee is merciless,” Lin Hua grumbled, removing his camouflage cap and mopping the sweat from his neck. “Just fifteen minutes of rest for the whole morning. I saw several girls in our class in tears.”

In the dining hall, Feng Lee, feeling the heat on his flushed cheeks, voiced his frustration. “Instructor Lee really doesn’t see us as human. Other instructors had their classes practice standing in the cool shade, but ours made us stand in the direct sunlight.”

“Exactly,” he continued, “the morning sun wasn’t too harsh, but this afternoon, it’s scorching. If Instructor Lee insists on having us stand in the sun again, we guys might manage, but I’m worried about the girls—they might not be able to handle it.”

Soong Ming may have had a rough exterior, but he was incredibly perceptive at heart. In a deep voice, he remarked, “Isn’t this exactly what Fourth Brother would want? Now he can ‘naturally’ provide the girls in our class with artificial respiration.”

Wang Xiao let out a faint smile and cast a sidelong glance at Lin Hua, ribbing him playfully.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hua cleared his throat and stated earnestly, “I’m not the type to exploit someone’s vulnerability, but I’ll make an exception when it comes to saving lives.”

Soong Ming and Feng Lee simultaneously rolled their eyes at Lin Hua.

Forest City University was split into two dining halls: the east for juniors and seniors, and the west for freshmen and sophomores.

As such, the west dining hall was bustling not only with first-year students but also with a considerable number of sophomores. Despite its size, the dining hall felt cramped as it catered to two grade levels.

“Hey, you guys done eating? If you’re finished, scram! We’re claiming this spot.”

While Wang Xiao and his friends were dining, a brash and overbearing voice interrupted them from nearby. Then, with a sudden kick to their table, the soup bowls trembled, splattering their contents. Soong Ming and the others leapt up to dodge the spill, anxious to avoid a mess on their clothes.

Wang Xiao’s brow creased slightly as he turned to face the commotion. He saw several boys with a thuggish look and arrogant demeanor approaching them, led by a boy sporting earrings. Their attire clearly marked them as sophomores.

“Did you just kick our table?” Wang Xiao asked, his tone cool and collected.

Soong Ming, Feng Lee, and Lin Hua stood by his side, their expressions unwelcoming as they fixed their gaze on Earring Boy and his group.

“Yeah, I kicked it,” Earring Boy retorted with a snort. “You freshmen need to clear out after you eat. This table caught the eye of Yang Master Jiang!”

Earring Boy’s tone was haughty as he addressed Wang Xiao. Today, Yang Master Jiang had invited the esteemed Goddess Yu to dine in the hall and had tasked him with securing a window table. The spot where Wang Xiao and his friends sat was prime real estate in the dining hall—right by the window with the best natural light.

“That’ll be 48 yuan. Cash or WeChat?”

Wang Xiao asked with a calm smile directed at the Earring Boy.

“What?”

Earring Boy was taken aback by Wang Xiao’s unexpected question, clearly confused by what he meant.

Wang Xiao gestured to the messy table, where the meal had been spilled amidst the chaos of Soong Ming and the others dodging, rendering it inedible.

“We’ve got four servings of rice here, 12 yuan each, adding up to 48 yuan. How do you want to settle this? Cash or WeChat?”

Wang Xiao reiterated his earlier question, his voice firm as he addressed Earring Boy.

This time, Earring Boy caught on to Wang Xiao’s meaning. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he leaned in close to Wang Xiao, his gaze mocking. “What’s that? You’re asking me to cover your meal?”

“Yes, cash or WeChat?” Wang Xiao confirmed with a nod, maintaining his composure.

“Haha, can you believe this? This freshman actually wants me to pay for their meal?” Earring Boy burst into laughter, pointing at Wang Xiao, his face twisted with derision. The sophomores around him joined in the laughter.

Their scornful chuckles reverberated around Wang Xiao and his friends, Soong Ming, Feng Lee, and Lin Hua, who looked on with grim expressions, fists tightening involuntarily.

Many students in the cafeteria had been eating quietly but soon took notice of the disturbance, turning to look in their direction.

“Look, it’s Yang Master Jiang’s crew picking on someone again.”

“That freshman’s got guts, challenging Yang Master Jiang’s guys to pay up for his meal?”

“Heh, what good is courage going to do him? Just watch, that freshman is about to get a rough time from Yang Master Jiang’s group.”

Many of the upperclassmen looked on with pity in their eyes as they watched the scene unfold before Wang Xiao.

“So, what’s it going to be? Cash or WeChat?” Wang Xiao asked again, seemingly oblivious to Earring Boy’s laughter and the surrounding murmurs, his gaze steady.

“Compensate your sister. You better scram before I lose my temper, or I’ll make sure you regret it!” Earring Boy’s face turned icy, his voice laced with a chilling threat as he spoke to Wang Xiao.

“So, you’re refusing to pay up?” Wang Xiao asked Earring Boy, his face betraying no emotion.

The students nearby overheard Wang Xiao and shook their heads, sighing softly. This freshman was just too naive.

Everyone else had made it clear they weren’t going to compensate, yet he still had to ask!

“Exactly, now scram…” Earring Boy didn’t get to finish his sentence when he suddenly felt a large hand clamp onto his head. A powerful force pushed his head down onto the dining table.

Next thing he knew, his face was intimately acquainted with a sticky mess of rice, vegetables, and minced meat.

“If you’re not interested in paying up, I won’t insist. Just finish all the food on the table, and we’ll call it even. Let’s not waste food, shall we?”

Wang Xiao held Earring Boy’s head down on the table, rubbing it in the mess, still speaking with a detached calm.

The onlookers inhaled sharply in unison.

They stared at Wang Xiao, their faces a mixture of shock and awe.

“Holy smokes, who is this freshman? He’s got some serious guts!”

“Good heavens, this freshman just forced Yang Master Jiang’s guy to face-plant into the leftovers. Is he out of his mind?”

“This guy’s a goner. Yang Master Jiang won’t let this slide!”

“Third Brother, nicely done!” Soong Ming’s gaze was intense as he watched Wang Xiao, clapping in approval.

His personality was rough around the edges, and he despised wrongdoing. He would have done the same, even if Wang Xiao hadn’t acted.

“Third Brother, next time give me a heads-up before you go in, will you? I’m covered in soup now.”

Feng Lee brushed the soup off his camouflage jacket, his expression unfazed, showing no concern for the consequences of Wang Xiao’s actions.

Feng Lee’s everyday style and speech effortlessly reflected his upscale background.

“Third Brother, how could you resort to violence? What you did was wrong. They are our seniors, after all, and we’re just freshmen who’ve just arrived. We shouldn’t be getting into fights so casually.”

Lin Hua looked at Wang Xiao earnestly, his voice filled with principled criticism.

To the uninformed, he might as well have been Wang Xiao’s adversary.

Had Lin Hua not been talking while simultaneously shoving a chicken bone he’d spat out during the meal into Earring Boy’s mouth, Wang Xiao would have completely fallen for Lin Hua’s act.

That Fatty Lin, as sleazy as ever!

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