mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 105 Cafeteria
Chapter 105 Cafeteria
Tianhai University, Visiting Scholar Apartment.
early morning.
Song Chen got out of bed, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.
The morning light streamed in and shone on his face, and he squinted.
In the distance, the outline of Tianhai University was faintly visible in the morning mist; the teaching buildings, training halls, and library all looked the same as yesterday.
He took a deep breath; a new day had begun.
Song Chen walked out of the apartment in a good mood.
How good is it?
He was so good to them that he didn't even notice the girls passing by who stopped in their tracks the moment they saw him, and he didn't realize that the corners of his mouth were always turned up.
Since he was in such a good mood, he decided to go out and have something nice to eat.
For so long, he has been eating combat emergency rations, such as compressed biscuits, energy bars, and military canned food.
Those things can fill your stomach, but they bring no happiness whatsoever.
When he woke up this morning, he suddenly remembered something: the cafeteria at Tianhai University was said to be the best among all the major martial arts universities in the country.
He's been enrolled for almost two weeks and hasn't been to school even once, so let's go.
The leaves of the sycamore tree rustled in the morning breeze, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on his shoulders.
The Heavenly Blade hung at his waist, its black scabbard gleaming subtly in the sunlight.
I didn't bring the Thunderclap Blade; I left it in the apartment. It needs to rest.
My hair was washed last night, and it no longer looks like that of a wild man.
As he passed by a teaching building, several girls came out of the building and bumped into him.
The girl walking at the front wore round-framed glasses and was carrying a stack of books. The moment she saw Song Chen, the books slipped from her hands and scattered all over the ground.
She didn't pick it up; she just stood there, mouth agape, watching him walk past her.
The girl next to her nudged her, and she snapped out of her daze. She squatted down to pick up the books, and after picking up two, she looked up at Song Chen's back and blushed.
"Is that... Song Chen?" she whispered to the girl next to her.
"Nonsense, who else would carry a knife around their waist at school?"
"He's so handsome! It's hard to see clearly in the video, but he's so much better looking in person..."
"Didn't you say you weren't a fan of celebrities?"
"This isn't a celebrity, this is a first-class combat hero, how can you compare them?"
……
Song Chen heard the whispers behind her, but did not turn around.
Over time, he has gotten used to it.
When he was in Anning City, nobody paid him any attention, but now he gets stared at wherever he goes.
This world is so strange. When you are nothing, you are a speck of dust. When you become something, you are a lamp, and wherever you go, people are watching you.
The problem is, he's still the same person; he hasn't changed, he's just become stronger.
He doesn't want to be the spotlight, but he doesn't hate being watched either, as long as they don't bother him.
Song Chen turned onto a wider main road.
This road leads to the central area of the campus, with teaching buildings and laboratories on both sides. It is bustling with people and is one of the most lively roads on campus.
As soon as he turned in, he sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere; the previously noisy voices suddenly dropped several decibels.
It's like throwing a stone into a pond; ripples spread outwards from the center, circle after circle, silently.
A boy who was jogging ran past him, then turned back after a dozen steps, panting as he said, "Song Chen, I saw the video of that stab you made in Teacher Gu's class yesterday in the group chat. It was amazing."
Song Chen glanced at him and nodded.
"It's nothing, you can do it too."
The boy seemed to have been enlightened; a wide smile spread across his face, his steps became lighter, and he turned around to continue running, looking back even after he had run quite a distance.
Several girls were chatting together on a row of benches by the roadside.
One of the girls with a high ponytail saw Song Chen walking over and suddenly stopped talking, just staring at him.
The girl next to her nudged her, saying, "Say something!"
The girl with the high ponytail bit her lip, mustered her courage, stood up, and walked up to Song Chen.
"Song Chen, my name is Chen Yutong, I'm a sophomore, and I'd like to do an interview with you, is that alright?"
Song Chen looked at her and shook his head.
"No interviews. Thank you."
Chen Yutong was clearly disappointed, but she still smiled, a forced yet sincere smile: "It's okay, I was just asking. Sorry to bother you."
She turned around and walked back to the bench, where the girl next to her put her arm around her shoulder to comfort her.
Song Chen continued walking forward. After a few steps, he heard Chen Yutong's voice behind him. It wasn't loud, but he heard it.
"He said thank you, he said thank you to me..."
He frowned. What is this?
At the end of the main road is a crossroads. Turn left to the library, turn right to the training hall, and go straight to the cafeteria.
Song Chen went straight to the cafeteria.
The canteen at Tianhai University is a three-story building with an exterior resembling a modern art museum, featuring glass curtain walls and a streamlined roof.
A huge stone tablet stands in the square at the entrance, with the words "Tianhai University Catering Center" engraved on it.
The interior of the cafeteria is even more extravagant than the exterior. The first floor is a fast food area, the second floor is a specialty food area, and the third floor is a buffet restaurant.
It is said that the chefs on the third floor are famous chefs invited from all over the country, and the ingredients are purchased daily from the best suppliers in Tianhai City. Some seafood is even air-freighted directly from the fishing port by the sea.
When Song Chen entered the cafeteria, it was the awkward time between breakfast and lunch. At 8:30 in the morning, breakfast was almost over and lunch hadn't started yet.
There weren't many people in the cafeteria; a few dozen students were scattered around, some drinking porridge, some eating steamed buns, and some scrolling through their phones.
The moment Song Chen walked in, all those dozens of people looked up at the same time.
He walked to the window on the first floor and glanced at the menu.
Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, porridge, side dishes... these are all very ordinary things.
He thought for a moment, then asked the lady at the window, "Do you have seafood?"
The auntie paused for a moment: "The seafood is on the third floor, and it's only served during lunchtime, starting at 11:30."
Song Chen glanced at the time; it was 8:40, almost three hours to go. He didn't want to wait, so after thinking for a moment, he asked, "Can I buy it now? I can pay more."
The auntie was stunned for a moment. She had worked in the cafeteria of Tianhai University for more than ten years and had never seen students eat seafood at eight o'clock in the morning.
But the student in front of her had a knife hanging from his waist and an aura that she, an ordinary person, could sense but couldn't quite put her finger on.
She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the internal phone and called the kitchen on the third floor. After saying a few words, she hung up and said to Song Chen, "The head chef on the third floor said you can go up now."
Song Chen went up to the third floor.
The third floor is a spacious buffet restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the lake at Tianhai University. Swans swim on the lake, and the teaching buildings in the distance are faintly visible in the morning mist.
The restaurant was empty, with only the sounds of spatulas clattering and steam hissing coming from the kitchen.
A chubby middle-aged chef poked his head out of the kitchen, looked Song Chen up and down, and his gaze lingered on the Tianjun Blade at his waist.
"Are you Song Chen?"
"Yes."
The fat chef nodded and shrank back.