Cafeteria 2

Ouyang Qianyu pushed through the crowd and stood behind Shangguan Xiao, using her body to shield her from the pressing throng. Suddenly, the crowd seemed less dense, and Shangguan Xiao felt somewhat unsettled by the change.

Turning her head, she saw that Ouyang Qianyu was right behind her! It appeared that the current congestion was caused by this very person entering.

Little did she know, if not for Ouyang Qianyu, she might have been crushed in the narrow stairwell today. She probably wouldn’t have had the chance to resent him anymore!

In truth, he had no idea what Ouyang Qianyu himself had done; all he knew was that he was the cause of the crowd. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt.

Unable to resist, he shot her a sidelong glance, then turned away, ignoring her. Watching the awkward Shangguan Xiao, Ouyang Qianyu felt a twinge of bitterness mixed with profound helplessness. Winning her acceptance seemed harder than reaching the heavens!

But this only proved that he was not yet good enough. He needed to work even harder to earn even a glance from her. Persistence might not guarantee results, but it would never leave him with lifelong regret.

So he decided to push on with even greater effort. The narrow staircase could only accommodate two people side by side; if someone was too bulky, only one could pass at a time. This slowed their ascent considerably. The surrounding walls were old and crumbling, as if a strong push would cause them to collapse.

Shangguan Xiao climbed the stairs cautiously. The grimy steps were stained with patches of stagnant water, evoking the image of a garbage dump. A few flies buzzed around, their foul smell prompting her to cover her mouth and nose.

What kind of place was this? In this day and age, how could such a place still exist? It looked like a perfect setting for a horror movie! She dreaded the thought of a ghost suddenly appearing—such a nightmare was unbearable!

Could this be a dangerous, condemned building? Despite her misgivings, filling her stomach took precedence. She hurried up the stairs and reached the cafeteria.

Shangguan Xiao was once again stunned upon seeing the dining hall. The wooden tables and chairs looked decades old. When she gently nudged a chair with her foot, it creaked and groaned loudly.

Could these really support people? Would they collapse the moment someone sat down? Swallowing nervously, she saw everyone else naturally taking their seats and reluctantly followed suit. She hadn’t eaten in the cafeteria yesterday due to the attack.

Today, seeing the so-called cafeteria was truly disheartening. She sat cautiously until the instructor called out, “Meal’s ready!” Everyone lifted their pot lids to reveal their breakfast.

A few steamed buns, a small pot of watery porridge without a single grain of rice, and some eggs. Was this really breakfast? It was absurd to feed them such meager fare! Everyone looked at the food with disappointment.

Shangguan Xiao picked up a bun and an egg, then ladled some of the so-called porridge. Ignoring the others, she began eating. At the adjacent table, Li Yaorao looked at her with disdain, silently thinking, "What a poor wretch, eating such meager food! Hmph!"

Seeing Shangguan Xiao eating, the others reluctantly picked up their buns and began to eat in misery.

They all knew that if they didn’t eat, they would starve to death here. To survive and leave this place alive, they had no choice but to resign themselves to these buns.

They quickly finished their breakfast, planning to rest a little afterward.

They were on the verge of collapse, deeply understanding the misery of hunger and sleeplessness. From now on, they vowed never to waste food again. But the future is always uncertain.

No one can make absolute predictions about what lies ahead. What seems true in one moment might change the next.