Nian walked back toward the college, still annoyed at the bulky man who had blocked her earlier. Yichen was trailing beside her, trying to calm her down.
"Nian, let's eat somewhere else. Don't stay on an empty stomach," he offered gently.
Nian stopped and looked at him. "You're right, Yichen. We've reached college anyway. I'll just eat in the canteen. You can go ahead with your plans."
She sighed and walked off. Yichen watched her go, amused by her stubbornness.
---
Nian opened the dorm room door and burst out laughing.
Xuanye stood like a ghost, stiff, with the note Nian had left still stuck to her forehead. Nian walked toward her bed, kicked her legs in the air, and sat down with a satisfied grin.
Xuanye sat beside her. "Nian, what did you do?!"
"I didn't do anything! But they didn't let me in — even the owner was against me!" she pouted.
Xuanye stared at her. "Look at me."
Nian turned her head with a huff, but the second she saw Xuanye's face, she burst into uncontrollable laughter and fell off the bed.
Xuanye closed her eyes, took a deep breath, removed the note from her forehead, and wiped her face.
"Nian! I'm your friend, not a blackboard! I didn't even put makeup on, and you… you drew on my face! And it's uglier than your actual drawings!"
Nian clutched her stomach, laughing. "I just stuck the note and added a little blush! But your hand betrayed you!"
Xuanye looked down and saw her hand covered in pink.
She took a deep breath, gave Nian a playful slap on the shoulder, and asked, "Now tell me — why were you so annoyed? And where's my breakfast?"
Nian's expression shifted instantly. "That restaurant owner didn't let me in."
Xuanye frowned. "Why? Did you fight with him again?"
"No! It was a bulky man who stopped me. I couldn't even eat my dumpling!"
Xuanye sighed. "If you couldn't eat there, you should've gone somewhere else. Why fight? What if he hit you? You can't even fight back. And I wasn't there either."
Nian raised her hand dramatically to throw a comeback.
Xuanye crossed her arms. "Put it down."
Nian sighed and dropped her hand.
Xuanye grabbed her arm and pulled her out to go eat. That night, they returned to the same restaurant. Nian peeked in from outside.
"Is that bulky man still there?"
Xuanye rolled her eyes and opened the door. It wasn't locked. Inside, the tables were messy, and the owner was cleaning up.
They walked up to him.
"Sir, did someone smash the place? Why does it look like this?" Xuanye asked.
Nian nodded eagerly beside her.
The owner looked exhausted. "You two — always talking about smashing and blackmail. Do you want me to beat you up?!"
They laughed nervously.
"What happened, then?" they asked in unison.
The owner looked around, then motioned for them to lean in.
They leaned forward. He whispered into their ears and leaned back.
Both girls froze.
"Did SEVENTEEN come here?!" they screamed.
The owner clamped his hands over his ears. "Shhh! That's why I didn't tell Nian. She would've barged in!"
They glared at him like he had committed a crime.
"Sir, why did you betray us? If we'd known, we could've seen them!"
They both closed their eyes dramatically.
The owner rolled his eyes. "Drop the act. I've made dumplings. Eat."
Their eyes lit up. They sat at the table immediately, looking proud.
The owner shook his head. "You two never change."
He placed dishes on the table and sat opposite them.
Nian took a bite. "Sir, will they come again? When will they come? How do they know this place? Do you know them personally?"
Xuanye coughed and scolded her. "Nian! Don't rush! Let him answer one question at a time!"
The owner handed them both water.
"They come here rarely. But when they were around 12 or 13, they used to eat here every day. I know them, but not that closely. I don't know when they'll come again."
Both girls leaned forward again.
"Then, sir — we'd like to work here as part-timers! We don't want money. We just want to see SEVENTEEN!"
The owner nearly choked, placing the glass on the table.
"Absolutely not! If you two work here, you won't serve them — you'll sit beside them!"
Xuanye smiled proudly. "Sir, you caught us~"
Nian giggled, nodding like a child.
The owner sighed. "Just eat."
He stood up and went back to work. As they ate, the shopkeeper was cleaning outside. Suddenly, a man dressed all in black appeared behind him.
The owner turned and clutched his chest.
The man removed his mask and cap.
The streetlight hit his face — it was DK. He smiled brightly.
"Sir, I think I left my glasses here. I came back to get them."
The owner sighed. "Why am I getting attacked from both sides today? Wait here. Don't shout, DK. If those girls inside see you, they won't let you leave. Cover your face."
DK tilted his head, confused.
The owner went inside. Nian was asking for another plate of dumplings. The owner told her to wait and stepped out again.
He handed DK his glasses. DK asked, "Who are they?"
The owner whispered, "Regular customers. Leave before they spot you."
DK chuckled. "Are they that scary? You make them sound interesting. Now I kind of want to see them."
He peeked inside.
The owner smacked his arm lightly. "Go. Now."
DK laughed, waved, and walked away.
The owner came back in, placed another plate on their table, and watched them eat with peaceful smiles on their faces — completely unaware of how close they were to another encounter.