Chapter 125: College Classmates

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: College Classmates

Fu Chao nodded blankly.

’Right, I’m Fu Chao... wait a minute.’

’Have I really become a has-been?’

’Why else would I be wandering around the restaurant all day without anyone recognizing me?’

[Brother Fu’s expression of self-doubt is hilarious! LOL!]

[Hey, did you forget you were the one who joked about looking like Fu Chao?]

[Looks like Fu Chao also thought the customer was joking and never considered that they genuinely didn’t recognize him!]

[No way, how could someone not recognize so many celebrities right in front of them?]

[First, besides Fu Chao, the others are all nobodies. The only one with a bit of fame, Nan Zhi, is in the back kitchen. Second, not everyone in the world cares about the entertainment industry!]

[Actually, quite a few people did recognize them, but they all just quietly finished their meals and left... That kind of small detail is so heartwarming, who gets it?]

[I think a key reason no one recognized him is... Brother Fu really looks like a wage slave, an office drone! Haha!]

...

Fu Chao’s expression was so vivid that it made the person who had just spoken feel a little awkward.

Just as this person was hesitating about whether to go up and ask Fu Chao for an autograph...

The curly-haired aunty had already returned to her seat, heartbroken.

She decided to channel her grief into her appetite with her family:

"Boss! More food!"

It was as if everyone else in the restaurant was reminded of something, and they all came to their senses.

"Ah, right, right! We want to order more too!"

’If we miss this chance, it’s gone forever!’

And so, Fu Chao was swiftly and ruthlessly forgotten by the diners.

Fu Chao: ...

Qi Pei’er, standing beside him, said:

"Don’t take it to heart. Look, they don’t even know who I am!"

The audience: ’Is... is that how you comfort someone?’

Fu Chao had a realization:

"Oh, right."

The audience: ’Did he actually get comforted by that?’

Then, Fu Chao muttered to himself:

"Besides, when the restaurant closes, they’ll never get to eat Nan Zhi’s cooking again. But I’m different! I have her WeChat!"

Qi Pei’er instantly dropped her sympathetic act:

"What? That’s going too far! Hurry up and send me Zhizhi’s contact info!"

Fu Chao casually turned and slipped away.

By this point, the audience was speechless.

Meanwhile, Nan Zhi saw the small restaurant get busy again. She nodded to the dejected-looking Zhu Jin and apologized once more.

Zhu Jin shook his head.

"What can you do? But... are you sure you don’t plan on opening a restaurant in the future?"

He still hadn’t given up hope.

A flicker of light crossed Nan Zhi’s eyes.

"I don’t have any plans for that at the moment."

Many people would assume that Nan Zhi was simply denying it.

And it made sense.

The entertainment industry is widely recognized as an easy way to make fast money.

After this parenting reality show became a huge hit, Nan Zhi’s career as a star was bound to reach new heights.

At a time like this, who would give up being a celebrity to become a chef in a smoky back kitchen?

That’s what the audience thought.

Only Zhu Jin seemed to have gotten Nan Zhi’s hidden meaning.

He immediately broke into a smile so wide he couldn’t close his mouth.

"Great, great!"

Zhu Jin happily sat back down.

Nan Zhi silently raised an eyebrow and was about to turn away.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, one of the seated diners called out to Nan Zhi.

Nan Zhi turned to look.

She saw that the person who had spoken was a delicate and elegant young woman.

Nan Zhi didn’t look too surprised.

Because she had noticed just a moment ago that this woman had been staring at her ever since she came out of the kitchen.

While everyone else’s emotions were in turmoil from watching the drama unfold, this woman had remained completely detached.

"Hello, ma’am. Is there something you’re not satisfied with about our dishes?"

Nan Zhi asked politely.

The young woman couldn’t help but touch her own face and let out a chuckle.

"Have I changed that much? You really don’t recognize me?"

Nan Zhi froze.

’Was this an acquaintance of hers?’

’Wait, this face does look a little familiar.’

"You are..."

"Yes! We worked part-time at the bubble tea shop together in college, remember?"

The young woman’s smile was generous and cheerful.

But it gradually overlapped with the memory of a gaunt, sorrowful face in Nan Zhi’s mind.

Nan Zhi had a flash of recognition.

"It’s you! Sun Xiu!"

The young woman, Sun Xiu, nodded eagerly.

Seeing a long-lost friend, Sun Xiu was clearly very happy.

"I never thought I’d run into you here! At first, I was wondering why you’d changed careers to become a chef, but it turns out you’re filming a variety show!"

Nan Zhi recalled her college major. It really had absolutely nothing to do with being a chef.

As for the entertainment industry, well, you could say it was loosely related.

"I remember you were... in the biology department? Did you stay at the university to work?"

Judging by Sun Xiu’s demeanor, Nan Zhi guessed she most likely worked at a school.

Sure enough, Sun Xiu replied:

"My grades were good, but not nearly good enough to stay on at our alma mater. After getting my doctorate, my advisor recommended me for a teaching position at X University."

As she listened to Sun Xiu’s story, Nan Zhi’s memories gradually returned—

She and Sun Xiu were in the same year but different departments, and they had worked part-time at the same bubble tea shop during college.

For a while, they often ate meals and studied together.

And that bubble tea shop...

That’s right, it was the one opened by Nan Zhi’s senior.

It was also the bubble tea shop that went out of business because of Lu Shixu.

Nan Zhi remembered that Sun Xiu had lost her job because the shop closed down.

She felt very guilty about it and wanted to do her best to make it up to her.

However, when she found Sun Xiu, she discovered that Sun Xiu already had a new job opportunity.

Nan Zhi felt too embarrassed to show her face, and after that, she and Sun Xiu drifted apart.

Nan Zhi remembered that Sun Xiu came from a very poor family; she was a girl who had fought her way out of the mountains through her studies to change her destiny.

Now, through her own efforts, Sun Xiu was living a good life, and Nan Zhi was sincerely happy for her.

In fact, Sun Xiu felt the same way.

"You look like you’re doing very well, too. I was worried back then... Is this your son?"

Sun Xiu’s words made Nan Zhi pause.

’Worried? Worried about what?’

She almost asked the question out loud.

But then she remembered the cameras and microphones.

"Mm, yes. His name is Nan Yi, and his nickname is Yiyi."

Nan Yi had been listening with his ears pricked up for quite a while now.

Hearing his mom finally introduce him, he puffed out his chest, looking even more well-behaved.

"Hello, Aunty."

Sun Xiu seemed to really like children, and she beamed from ear to ear.

"Yiyi, is it? You’re so handsome! You perfectly inherited your mom’s and... oh dear, I should have gotten you a gift for our first meeting. Do you like toys?"

"Thank you, Aunty, but that’s not necessary. I’m already past the age of liking toys."

Nan Yi spoke primly, like a little adult.

But in the eyes of real adults, it was unbearably cute!

Seeing the sparkle in Sun Xiu’s eyes, if Nan Zhi hadn’t been there, she probably would have already started pinching the little guy’s cheeks!

Suddenly feeling a chill run down his spine, Nan Yi silently took two steps back to hide behind Nan Zhi.

Nan Yi accidentally bumped Nan Zhi’s arm, snapping her out of her daze. She took the initiative to ask Sun Xiu if she had time.

After receiving an affirmative answer.

The two agreed to meet up and chat after the lunch service was over.

「Afterward.」

Sun Xiu returned to her table. Her companions seemed to be her colleagues.

Nan Zhi also returned to the kitchen, suppressing her thoughts.