Today was Friday, and they only had classes in the morning—Diagnostics, a large lecture. After that, Xu Ze planned to head home in the afternoon to help out and take some time to sort through his emotions. He knew that while he might appear fine on the surface, he wasn’t over things yet. Going home for a couple of days might be the best way to process everything.
After a quick shower, Xu Ze joined his roommates for breakfast. The second cafeteria was always the most popular on campus, known for its meat buns, which were Luozi and Fatty’s favorites, and the cross-bridge rice noodles, which Gangzi loved. As for Xu Ze, he usually devoured four large shaomai (steamed dumplings) and a big bowl of pickled vegetable soup.
The cafeteria was as crowded as ever. Fatty grabbed a table while the others split up to order: four meat buns, two bowls of plain rice porridge, one serving of cross-bridge rice noodles, four shaomai, and a bowl of pickled vegetable soup.
Xu Ze’s appetite was unusually strong today. He quickly polished off his shaomai and soup, but instead of feeling full, he found himself eyeing his roommates’ portions.
Fatty, his mouth shiny with grease from his second meat bun, stared at Xu Ze, who had already finished his meal and was now eyeing Fatty’s porridge. “What’s wrong with you today? Possessed by Zhu Bajie or something? You usually eat slower than me!”
Despite his grumbling, Fatty pushed his untouched porridge toward Xu Ze, muttering, “Poor kid, you must’ve really been through it…”
Xu Ze grabbed the porridge and gulped it down in a few quick swallows, leaving his roommates staring in disbelief as he emptied the bowl.
Still not satisfied, Xu Ze glanced at Luozi’s half-finished porridge, prompting Luozi to quickly down the rest of his meal. “Don’t even think about it! If you’re still hungry, go get your own!”
Then, as if remembering something, Luozi gave Xu Ze a strange look and asked cautiously, “Wait a second… You didn’t… uh, ‘work out’ last night, did you? Is that why you’re so hungry? Remember, our purity is precious. You’ve got to save it for the right girl, someone pure and like-minded…”
“No way, nothing like that. I’m full, I’m full…” Embarrassed by Luozi’s teasing and the stifled laughter from the girls at the next table, Xu Ze wiped his sweat and stood up. I really was possessed by Zhu Bajie today. So embarrassing. He suppressed his still-half-empty stomach, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and hurriedly said, “Let’s go, class is about to start…”
Xu Ze’s fight yesterday had caused quite a stir, and it seemed like the entire clinical department had heard about it. As he walked into the lecture hall, nearly a hundred pairs of eyes turned toward him. Seeing him in high spirits, many couldn’t help but admire his resilience.
No one brought up the incident, though. After all, a breakup wasn’t something to gloat about, and no one wanted to upset Xu Ze.
A few girls, however, cast lingering, hopeful, and concerned glances his way. Xu Ze had, after all, made it onto the freshman heartthrob list. With his handsome features, he was naturally popular with the ladies.
Diagnostics was an important course, and Xu Ze, having worked part-time at a clinic for over a year, knew its value well. He had studied the textbook extensively and never missed a class. He was always eager to ask questions, often delving beyond the material covered in the book.
Fortunately, Professor Fan, who taught the course, was a chief physician at the university hospital with decades of clinical experience. He always answered Xu Ze’s questions in detail and took a keen interest in the young man’s enthusiasm for learning.
Today’s lecture was on chest pain, a topic Xu Ze had already mastered. During the Q&A session at the end, he raised his remaining doubts, and after having them clarified, he left the classroom feeling satisfied.