8: Chapter 8 Lin Wan

The cafeteria was bustling with noise; it was the peak of the lunch hour rush.

The clatter of stainless steel trays, the shouts of the cafeteria workers at the counters, and the rising and falling laughter of students blended into a single cacophony.

The aroma of braised pork and spicy incense pot wafted through the air.

Wang Hao was a man of his word, dragging Jiang Chen toward the most expensive counter, turning back to shout as he squeezed through the crowd.

"It's my treat today, don't try to stop me! That eight thousand yuan is burning a hole in my pocket; I've got to spend at least half of it back on you today!"

He was sweating profusely from the exertion, and his sleeves were stained with grease from who-knows-where, but he didn't notice at all, his eyes fixed solely on the "Gold Medal Braised Pork" sign ahead.

Jiang Chen shook his head with a smile, letting him have his way.

The line for food moved at a snail's pace.

Two girls in front were discussing a variety show from last night, laughing hysterically, while someone at the next window complained, "The auntie's hand was shaking again; there's even less meat now."

Finally, it was their turn.

Wang Hao grandiosely ordered two braised pork sets plus two chicken drumsticks, swiping his card without batting an eye.

"Let's go, find a seat!"

Carrying their trays, the two of them squeezed into the crowd, seeing nothing but a sea of heads as far as the eye could reach.

Plastic stools screeched as they were dragged across the floor; whenever someone stood up to leave, three or four pairs of eyes would immediately lock onto the spot.

Wang Hao's sharp eyes spotted a small table in the corner with half of it empty, and he immediately pulled Jiang Chen over, terrified someone else would snatch it if they were a second late.

"Is anyone sitting here? If not, we're taking it."

Just as he finished speaking, a crisp female voice replied, "No one's here. Go ahead and sit."

Jiang Chen set down his tray and looked up at the person across from them.

It was a girl with a high ponytail, wearing a simple white T-shirt and denim overall dress.

The dress was a bit faded from washing, but it was spotlessly clean.

She was looking down, flipping through a thick textbook, its edges packed with a dense array of colorful sticky notes.

Beside her sat a canvas bag with a corner of a document peeking out; printed on the bag were the words: "Legal Aid."

A number tag for Malatang was on the table.

Number 56.

Seeming to sense someone sitting down, she looked up.

It was a clean, simple face.

Her features were delicate, her skin fair, with a few stray hairs falling across her forehead.

Most striking were her eyes—bright, like a clear mountain spring, looking straight at people without any unnecessary scrutiny.

Lin Wan

Her gaze lingered on Jiang Chen's face for a second before she gave a polite nod as a greeting and went back to her book.

Jiang Chen nodded back and withdrew his gaze.

The two sat down and ate their meals in silence.

The cafeteria remained noisy.

Jiang Chen took a bite of shredded potatoes, catching a glimpse of the girl across from him turning a page in his peripheral vision.

Her fingers were long and clean, and her movements as she turned the pages were very light.

Wang Hao, on the other hand, paid no attention to any of this, burying his head in his food and devouring his chicken leg until his mouth was slick with oil.

Halfway through the meal, something unexpected happened.

A boy carrying a tray walked past, and his foot suddenly slipped.

Someone had spilled soup on the floor, leaving a glistening puddle.

The boy stepped on it, instantly losing his balance, and the tray in his hand flew toward Jiang Chen's side.

"Shit—"

Jiang Chen reacted instantly, jerking his body backward.

The tray grazed his shoulder and flew past, splashing soup and water over half the table.

But the unluckiest part was what happened next to him.

Half a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup splashed directly onto the canvas bag of the girl opposite him.

The brownish broth trickled down the canvas, quickly spreading into a large stain.

Of the words "Legal Aid," only "Legal" and "Aid" were still barely legible; the rest had been turned into a soggy mess.

"Holy crap!"

The boy's face went pale once he regained his footing.

He looked down at the puddle of soup on the floor, then up at the girl's bag, freezing in place while his hands were still held as if carrying a tray.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! The floor was too slippery, I lost my footing."

His voice was trembling, his face flushed red, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

The girl looked down at her bag, stunned for a couple of seconds.

Jiang Chen noticed her eyelashes flutter slightly.

People in the cafeteria looked over; the neighboring table went quiet for a few seconds before returning to their conversation.

Jiang Chen frowned, pulled a tissue from his pocket, and handed it over. "Wipe it off first."

The girl took the tissue and murmured a "thank you."

She didn't complain or scream; she just lowered her head and silently wiped the soup from her bag.

The boy kept apologizing, standing there helplessly, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

The girl looked up and glanced at him.

There was no blame or anger in that look; instead, it held a hint of helplessness and reassurance.

"It's alright, don't just stand there."

Her voice was very calm. "Go get another meal; the food will be gone soon."

The boy was stunned, as if he couldn't believe she was just letting it go.

"Go on."

The girl waved him off.

"Standing there won't put the soup back in the bowl."

The boy opened his mouth to say something but ultimately only managed a "I'm really sorry" before turning to leave, looking back every few steps with a face full of guilt.

Jiang Chen watched her as she continued to wipe her bag.

She wasn't furious, nor was she cold.

She simply used the tissue to dab away the soup bit by bit, frowning occasionally before relaxing her expression again.

The girl looked up and, noticing Jiang Chen was still looking at her bag, spoke first: "It's fine, it'll be okay after a wipe."

She spoke nonchalantly, as if she didn't mind at all.

Wang Hao couldn't stand it anymore. With half a piece of meat still in his mouth, he said indistinctly, "Your bag is ruined; you're just letting it go? If it were me, I'd have made him pay for it."

Lin Wan smiled and moved her bag slightly to the side to prevent any dripping soup from getting on the table.

"He didn't do it on purpose."

She paused and looked down at her bag, a hint of self-deprecation in her tone.

"Besides, I've used this bag for three years; it was old anyway. It's a good excuse to get a new one."

She spoke casually, as if talking about the most ordinary thing.

Looking at her, Jiang Chen suddenly felt this girl was a bit different.

Anyone else would have at least complained, if not broken into a tirade.

Or they would have remained cold and silent, leaving the other person in an awkward position.

Yet she acted as if nothing had happened and even went out of her way to comfort the clumsy boy.

"Are you from the Law School?"

Jiang Chen glanced at the book on her table.

It was a copy of General Principles of Civil Law, very thick and covered in colorful sticky notes along the edges.

"Yeah, sophomore year."

She nodded and closed the book. "What about you?"

"Finance."

"Oh."

She gave a brief response and went back to wiping her bag.

The conversation ended there.

But strangely, the atmosphere wasn't awkward.

Wang Hao sat there gnawing on his chicken leg, his eyes darting back and forth between the two, until he finally couldn't help but speak up.

He swallowed the meat, wiped his greasy mouth, and leaned in to ask, "Um... hey, what's your name?"

His tone was casual, as if chatting with an old friend.

The girl looked up at him, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Lin Wan. 'Wan' as in 'evening'."

"Lin Wan, nice name!" Wang Hao gave a thumbs up. "I'm Wang Hao, and he's Jiang Chen. We're both sophomores."

Lin Wan nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Just those three words—no unnecessary pleasantries, no forced enthusiasm.

But she said it naturally, as if she were genuinely greeting someone rather than just being polite for the sake of appearances.

Jiang Chen also nodded.

Then Lin Wan went back to wiping her bag.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Chen and Wang Hao stood up to leave.

After a few steps, Jiang Chen suddenly stopped.

He turned around and walked back to the table.

The cafeteria worker was shouting that the Malatang for number 56 was ready.

Lin Wan was about to get up when she saw him return out of the corner of her eye, and her movement faltered.

Jiang Chen leaned down and took out a few tissues from his pocket.

There was a puddle of soup on the floor.

People passing by either walked around it or stepped right through it, leaving footprints that made the floor even dirtier.

He pressed the tissues onto the puddle, soaking up the excess liquid.

He pulled out another one and wiped the rest clean.

Then he stood up and threw the dirty tissues into a nearby trash can.

His movements were light and natural.

He straightened up and met Lin Wan's gaze just as she looked up.

Their eyes met.

A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Then, the corners of her mouth curved upward.

This time, she didn't say anything, only giving a slight nod.

Jiang Chen nodded back and turned to leave.

Behind him, Lin Wan's gaze lingered on his back for a couple of seconds.

The afternoon sun slanted in through the window, plating his shoulders with a faint golden edge.