After dinner, Yao An and Jiang Jingya went to the teaching building, bought two cups of milk tea, and sat in the library listening to Jay Chou's "The Longest Movie".
They watched the basketball team train at the stadium and fed pigeons by the roadside with popcorn.
The two of them wandered aimlessly.
Even though Normal University also had these facilities, Jiang Jingya was simply curious about everything, even carefully collecting a perfectly shaped fallen leaf in her satchel.
Her excuse was that she wanted to make it into a bookmark.
However, given her personality, that fallen leaf would most likely turn yellow and wither in the satchel's interlayer, and she would probably puff out her cheeks and get angry at her carelessness when she stumbled upon it much later.
The two of them were bored, yet neither of them felt bored.
What is love? Love is wanting to walk every path she has walked.
In the evening, they sat on the grass of the sports field, enjoying the evening breeze, surrounded by couples nestled together.
"Are you really not going back? If it gets any later, your dorm will close, and you won't have a chance to change your mind."
Jiang Jingya wrinkled her nose, a bit conflicted.
"Does this count as sneaking out of the dorm? Will I get a demerit or something?"
"Huh? Is that what you're conflicted about?"
"What else? This is my first time sneaking out of the dorm since I was little, and it's all because I wanted to spend more time with you."
Hearing this, Yao An's gaze softened a few shades.
"Generally speaking, no one at university cares about this; the Student Union just needs to confirm that everyone isn't dead."
"That's a terrible way to put it. What about in unusual circumstances?"
"A deduction in moral education points."
"That's fine, as long as it's not a demerit or anything."
Seeing Jiang Jingya pat her increasingly full chest and gradually relax, Yao An couldn't help but want to tease her.
"But you can never be too sure about these things. What if some school leader inspects the dorms and catches you staying out all night? A public reprimand would probably be unavoidable."
"Ah? Then I should still go back tonight."
"Pfft."
Yao An couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Universities don't manage students' private lives. After all, they don't even manage their studies; it's all up to the students' self-discipline."
Jiang Jingya realized she had been tricked and was about to react when she heard her continue:
"That's not the problem. The problem is if you stay overnight in our dorm, your roommates don't know you and might have an issue with it."
"Will that affect your relationship with your roommates?"
Jiang Jingya was still afraid of Yao An having conflicts with her roommates, even though she usually didn't pay attention to such issues herself.
"It's fine, you're so cute, everyone will definitely accept you. We just need to speak a little softer tonight."
Just as she was about to raise her hand to touch her head, her phone in her satchel rang with a voice call notification.
After answering, Tian Yuan's loud shouting came through the receiver.
"Yao An! Where are my potato chips? Where's my sparkling water? Did you forget you have a 'yellow-faced woman' at home waiting for you to come back?!"
Yao An helplessly patted her forehead. She was so busy wandering around with Little Cake that she completely forgot about such things.
"I'm so sorry, Yuan Yuan, I'll go buy them for you right now."
"An'an, I want a bag too, cucumber flavored."
On the phone, Yang Jiajia's Sichuan accent rang out.
"You guys came back so early."
"Sigh, don't even mention it. The Bund Pedestrian Street was packed with people; all my photos are just a bunch of heads."
Yao An glanced at Jiang Jingya, who was leaning against the phone receiver, eavesdropping on her conversation with her roommates, and after a moment's consideration, asked:
"Is everyone there?"
"Ye Xuan isn't here."
Who cares if she's there or not.
Yao An thought for a moment.
"How about we go out for dinner? We haven't had a proper meal together since we started university."
"Ah? So sudden? But I've been walking all day and I'm so tired. All I want to do now is lie in bed."
"Who called me lazy this morning? I don't think you're much better."
"Wait up, I'll call everyone, meet at the East Gate."
Just as she was about to hang up, Yang Jiajia's voice rang out again.
"An'an."
"Hmm?"
"Won't it be bad if we don't call Ye Xuan?"
"You can try calling her to join."
Yang Jiajia sighed.
"So, my job as dorm leader is just to deal with all these annoying things, huh?"
"What else?"
"Alright, I'll give her a call. Whether she comes or not is none of my business."
After hanging up, Yao An patted Jiang Jingya's little head.
"What do you want to eat?"
"It might not be good for me to join your dorm dinner, right?"
"So, do you want to go or not?"
"Yes."
At 8:30 PM, the residents of 404 gathered at the East Gate.
Compared to a social gathering with boys, a dorm dinner was undoubtedly more relaxed and casual.
No one needed to dress up; Tian Yuan even came out in slippers.
As expected, Ye Xuan was not present.
It was supposed to be a dorm dinner, and seeing Yao An bring an outsider, Yang Jiajia and Wu Tong clearly looked a bit unhappy.
However, Jiang Jingya was lively and endearing, and coupled with Yao An specifically taking her to buy snacks and fruits to share with her roommates, everyone quickly became familiar with each other after a few sentences.
That slight unhappiness also vanished once they learned about the relationship between Yao An and Jiang Jingya.
The dorm's beloved sister-friend deserved their smiling welcome.
The dinner location wasn't planned in advance; they casually picked a home-style restaurant that was affordable, and everyone ordered their favorite dishes.
"Should we have some alcohol? I see boys always drink beer at their dinners."
As soon as Yang Jiajia suggested it, Wu Tong also chimed in to agree.
"Of course, we should drink. What's the point of just eating without drinking?"
"But beer tastes bad."
Han Wenjing whispered.
"It's fine, you can drink less. If it's really too much, we can mix some soda for you."
Seeing their resolute attitude, no one else found it appropriate to say anything.
Moreover, it was their first dorm dinner, and everyone was very happy. Drinking some beer could indeed liven up the atmosphere faster.
"Hmph, a bunch of lightweight drinkers, just watch me drink all of you under the table."
Before her transmigration, as the 'Sea of Southern Jiangsu's Drinking King', Yao An had never feared anyone when it came to drinking. A group of young girls? She could easily handle them, right?
Then, the Yao An who had made such a bold declaration... only drank one bottle of beer before her cheeks were flushed with a captivating rosy hue, and she was leaning softly on Jiang Jingya's shoulder, babbling nonsense.
"How dare you call others lightweight drinkers? You're clearly the most lightweight one, alright?"
"Help me up, I can still drink!"
Wu Tong couldn't help but cover her face.
"Big sister, your persona is crumbling! It's clear you're really drunk."
Some people are simply alcohol intolerant; it's a matter of their physique, and Yao An was clearly one of them.
Everyone was very satisfied with this dinner.
Although Jiang Jingya was an outsider, she was lively and talkative throughout, and the girls chatted without any barriers.
She usually loved to throw petty tantrums, but those emotions only surfaced when she was with close people.
These were An'an's roommates, so of course, she wanted to help maintain good dorm relations.
Before leaving, they asked the waiter to take a group photo. Everyone's faces were flushed, as if they had applied blush.
"Xiao Ya, I wish you were a member of our dorm."
Yang Jiajia couldn't help but exclaim as she looked at the photo.
"You... you shouldn't say things that are detrimental to unity, okay?"
Yao An mumbled, her Shanghai dialect coming out, as she leaned on Jiang Jingya's shoulder.
The observant Wu Tong couldn't help but glance at her. This seemingly drunken remark actually carried a hint of a reminder.
Was Yao An, even when drunk, still trying to maintain dorm harmony?
Having someone like her nearby truly makes one feel at ease; one can't help but want to get closer to her.
Unfortunately, tonight, Yao An belonged only to Jiang Jingya.