Chapter 35: Jolted Awake by My Own Hiccup

"Oh! Such an early start—I wonder if we'll be lucky enough to get a taste..."

To save Ye Moxi from any awkwardness, Zuo Xi spoke up first.

"It's just some home-style snacks; I hope you won't mind them."

Having learned about Luxue and Xingmiao's family backgrounds, Ye Moxi understood Feng Yanting's intentions. They were merely simple foods, and she didn't expect to bridge the gap between herself and her roommates with them.

Steamed buns, fragrant seared beef pies, thick, slowly simmered rice porridge, and crisp, refreshing pickles...

Zuo Xi even let out a satisfied burp.

Luxue was delicate and a picky eater—a constant headache for Zuo Xi. Now that their new roommate was such a talented cook, perhaps she could cure Luxue's fussiness. However, it would be far too presumptuous to suddenly ask a roommate to handle all three daily meals.

Perhaps he would observe how they got along during his next leave.

As Zuo Xi wiped his mouth, his eyes met Long Mu's; it seemed they were both entertaining the same thought.

Because she hadn't prepared in advance, Ye Moxi had been busy all morning. Once she mailed the packages to Feng Yanting and Madam Feng Xi according to the addresses, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Checking the time, she hurried back to her room to get ready. It was the first day of school, after all—she couldn't look too casual.

Luxue and Xingmiao walked out of their rooms, yawning, and sat down at the dining table out of habit. The moment they lifted the thermal covers, they were stunned.

Just then, the comms rang.

Luxue answered. On the other end was Zuo Xi, who had just finished his morning meeting.

"Awake? My, girls really do get the royal treatment. Our breakfast wasn't nearly this lavish..."

What did he mean?

"Isn't this the breakfast you ordered from Guangxian Tower?"

Luxue blinked her beautiful eyes.

Before her sat an exquisite and lovely breakfast.

There were two steamed buns shaped like little pigs, two buns shaped like kitten heads, a bowl of millet porridge sprinkled with crushed red dates, two pink strawberry cream-filled cake rolls, a glass of freshly squeezed fruit juice, and a plate holding two fragrant, crispy cookies along with some pre-cut fruit...

"This was a generous treat from our new roommate this morning..."

Zuo Xi licked his lips. How should he put it? The portion Ye Moxi gave him wasn't exactly small, but he felt he could have eaten more. Unfortunately, they weren't close enough yet, and he was too embarrassed to ask for seconds.

However, just as he was leaving, he noticed Ye Moxi brewing star-beast milk with tea leaves. Out of curiosity, he had asked to try it, and Ye Moxi had filled a large carafe for both him and Long Mu. He had been too busy with the morning meeting earlier, but now, seeing Luxue's breakfast, he felt hungry all over again.

Zuo Xi took out the large water bottle from his spatial device. Its humble appearance clashed with his elegantly decorated office, but he didn't care at all.

He opened the bottle and took a sip.

A hint of charred fragrance from the star-beast milk, with a trace of sweetness...

Zuo Xi hesitated and took another sip.

He didn't like the bitterness of tea, nor did he like overly sweet star-beast milk, but for some reason, the combination was surprisingly delicious.

"Your breakfast is getting cold. Aren't you going to eat?" Zuo Xi urged Luxue.

Luxue hesitated. After all, their new roommate was from the Fringe Systems. While she couldn't deny the breakfast looked tempting...

Zuo Xi propped his legs up on his desk, leisurely sipping his milk tea. "If you don't want it, why don't you send it to me via courier?"

Hearing that, Luxue picked up a cake roll and, with the air of someone facing their doom, opened her mouth... and took a bite. Actually, it was just one bite—she barely grazed the surface of the cake.

Zuo Xi almost laughed in frustration.

Xingmiao, however, wasn't as cautious as Luxue. She picked up a kitten-shaped bun and took a bite; it was filled with sweet red bean paste.

The dough was chewy, and the bean paste was only lightly sweetened. She took a sip of the porridge, which carried a faint red-date aroma.

Her eyes lit up.

This didn't lose out to the big restaurants like Guangxian Tower at all!

Even for a girl, a small kitten bun could be finished in two or three bites. Xingmiao then picked up a pig-shaped bun.

It was filled with beef, and while she could taste the seasonings, the bun was packed with juicy, flavorful beef.

Delicious!

On her side, Luxue finally steeled herself and took a proper bite.

The dense cake wrapped around the sweet, fresh cream—and as she chewed, she could taste bits of fresh strawberry...

She had never eaten such a delicious cream roll!

"Hiccup..."

Luxue was startled by her own burp! She was still holding the last cookie in her hand, and of all the breakfast spread before her, only half a glass of juice remained...

"This... did I really eat all of this?"

On the other end, Zuo Xi scoffed.

So much for a "bird-like appetite"!

It was just that she hadn't encountered food that suited her tastes before!

...

"Thank you for taking the trouble to walk me over."

In front of the Planting Department, Luxue and Xingmiao bid farewell to Ye Moxi. Their own departments were located elsewhere, and it wasn't exactly on their way, but because of the expensive gift Ye Moxi had given them and the delicious breakfast, they felt they should show the new roommate some courtesy, so they accompanied her to registration.

However, they weren't very close yet, and excessive intimacy would feel awkward for both parties, so they only escorted Ye Moxi to the entrance of the Planting Department.

For Ye Moxi, however, this was already enough!

"So that’s the new student who beat out several Guide Department freshmen and landed a spot in Senior Luxue and Senior Xingmiao's dorm?"

Luxue and Xingmiao's fiancés were both combat team captains in the Imperial Legion, holding the rank of Major General. They were handsome, 2S-grade Sentinels, and their friends and team members were all promising young men. If one lived with them, wouldn't that be a great opportunity to get close to high-ranking Sentinels in the future?

What a pity! The opportunity had been snatched away by a girl from the Fringe Systems in the Planting Department!

How could the prestigious freshmen of the Guide Department swallow this insult?

The news of Ye Moxi's engagement to Feng Yanting was only known to the noble families and the military. While some in the Talent Academy had heard rumors, they didn't know who the other party was, so for now, Ye Moxi was just an unidentified "airdrop" student.

This led everyone to be curious about the newcomer's true face while simultaneously placing bets on whether she would be kicked out...

Seeing Luxue and Xingmiao accompany her to register, some people backed down, but others remained unconvinced.

"Dilly, you're the fiancée of Legion Commander Xiong. Among this year's freshmen, aside from the top few, you have the highest status. Are you really going to swallow this?"

The top students of the Guide Department had their own specially arranged dorms—three to a room, six of them in total, all of whom had been friends since before they arrived.

Although others were scattered into different dorms, their roommates were essentially people they had known since childhood or from friendly family circles. Only Dilly, with her lower rank but strong backing, was difficult to place.