Chapter 027: Afternoon of Senior Year

The canteen at No. 1 High School was quite large, spanning three floors. The first floor was a public dining hall, similar to a fast-food restaurant, with various food stalls around the perimeter and rows of tables and chairs in the center.

The second floor was for private dining rooms, suitable for wealthier students who could order dishes. Some students from less affluent families would also come here for birthday parties. The food on the second floor was clearly of a higher quality, prepared by specially hired chefs.

The third floor was exclusively for faculty and staff, offering meals similar to those on the first floor but in a more elegant setting. Of course, students were not allowed to dine there.

Lin Yi followed Kang Xiaobo into the canteen. Kang Xiaobo pointed to an office on the right and said, "Get your meal card there."

"Okay, I'll go get one right away," Lin Yi nodded. Chu Pengzhan and Uncle Fu had not given him a school meal card or library card, but these could be easily obtained at any time by showing his student ID.

"What? Don't you trust me?" Kang Xiaobo seemed displeased when he saw Lin Yi heading to get a card. "It's our first day meeting, and we're on my turf, so I'll treat you!"

Lin Yi, seeing Kang Xiaobo's reaction, decided not to get the card immediately. "Alright, let's eat first, then I'll get it."

"Sure, I'll go with you after we eat!" Kang Xiaobo said cheerfully, leading Lin Yi through the various food stalls in the canteen.

There were many dishes available at the stalls, both vegetarian and meat, with several main courses and options like buns, dumplings, and pancakes. Lin Yi ordered some alfalfa tomatoes and rice, while Kang Xiaobo chose fish-flavored shredded pork and steamed buns. The total came to eleven yuan, a moderate expense.

Lin Yi and Kang Xiaobo found a seat and placed their dishes together, allowing them to share.

After sitting down, Lin Yi quickly scanned the entire canteen. Chen Yushu and Chu Mengyao were not there, likely in one of the private rooms on the second floor.

"What are you looking at? Checking out the beauties?" Kang Xiaobo laughed. "Chen Yushu and Chu Mengyao are upstairs; they wouldn't eat with us. But if you're lucky, you might see Tang Yun!"

"Is that so?" Lin Yi was more concerned about where Chu Mengyao was and didn't care much about whether Tang Yun would appear.

"However, Tang Yun's family isn't doing well, so she often brings her own lunch," Kang Xiaobo sighed. "Actually, with her looks, she could have any boy in the school vying to treat her to meals. Even eating in the private rooms upstairs every day wouldn't be impossible!"

"Hmm, a girl with ambition doesn't care about these things," Lin Yi said lightly.

"You're right. Tang Yun never cares about these things. Such a girl is truly rare," Kang Xiaobo agreed. "But the more she does this, the more boys like her! Girls who aren't materialistic are exactly what we students admire!"

Unfortunately, Tang Yun didn't appear even after they finished lunch. Lin Yi wasn't particularly bothered, but Kang Xiaobo was slightly disappointed. Many students, like Kang Xiaobo, came here every day hoping to see Tang Yun, making it a daily expectation.

Chu Mengyao and Chen Yushu, hand in hand, descended the stairs from the second floor, drawing many admiring glances from the boys. However, to most of the students, they were like princesses, out of reach.

Many boys didn't even dare to look at them directly. Lin Yi watched as the two girls left the canteen and then went to the management office at the canteen entrance with Kang Xiaobo.

"Lin Yi, you were staring at Chen Yushu and the others, weren't you?" Kang Xiaobo asked.

"Just looking around," Lin Yi said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, you'll understand in a few days. They aren't our princesses. Tang Yun is," Kang Xiaobo said sympathetically. He, too, had once harbored a crush on Chen Yushu and Chu Mengyao when he first entered school, but as he matured, he realized the gap between them.

Equality is a beautiful fantasy. Any slightly mature person understands that people are never truly equal. The rich feast while the poor freeze to death; this is not a joke but a harsh reality.

Chu Mengyao and Chen Yushu's lives were colorful and brilliant. Their princess-like existence was something an ordinary boy like him could never enter.

Therefore, although many in the class knew that Chu Mengyao didn't like Zhong Pinliang, they also understood that he was the only one in the class with the qualifications to pursue her.

The process of getting the meal card was smooth. After all, the school was getting money. Although the canteen manager claimed it wasn't for profit, who would believe that?

Lin Yi showed his student ID and prepaid two hundred yuan, easily obtaining the meal card. As they left, Kang Xiaobo complained, "Dude, why did you deposit so much money?"

"For eating, what else?" Lin Yi was puzzled. Kang Xiaobo had been giving him signals while he was depositing the money, but he didn't understand what he was trying to convey.

"The school canteen! They welcome you with a smile when you give them money, but when you want to stop eating and get a refund, good luck with that! We're in our senior year; who knows how long we'll be eating here? If you deposit so much money, you'll have to waste time getting a refund when you graduate!" Kang Xiaobo said reproachfully.

"Ha, I see. No big deal, it's just two hundred yuan. We spent over ten yuan today, so it'll be gone in a month or so," Lin Yi said nonchalantly. "If they don't refund it, so be it. We can always come here and eat a big meal one day."

"You're quite laid-back!" Kang Xiaobo praised. "If it weren't for the higher prices at restaurants outside, I wouldn't eat here."

"Having food is good enough." Lin Yi wasn't picky. The canteen food wasn't as good as what Uncle Fu's chef had prepared yesterday, but it was better than the snacks from the village widow's shop.

Back in the classroom, most students hadn't gone out to play. Time in senior year was precious and intense. This was a critical juncture in life; hard work could lead to admission to a prestigious university, while a moment's lapse could result in failure.

The students who had made it into No. 1 High School were all top performers, and none wanted to fall behind. Of course, the wealthy students were an exception, playing basketball on the playground or gaming in internet cafes outside school.