Chapter 298: The Jam Cookies Are Really Delicious

“Finally, finally…”

Yang Shuli clasped her hands together in a prayer pose.

It was a bit like praying to God after a victory in war.

However, Yang Shuli also found it strange—whether sad or happy, Westerners always seemed to think of God.

There was a certain beauty to it, like thanking God for giving a loved one a second chance at life in front of exhausted medical staff after a successful surgery.

But Yang Shuli only prayed to one thing.

Cuisine.

After Gou Yu proposed to Zhu Qiu and they embraced, the whole venue erupted in cheers.

The meal she had been longing for finally arrived.

“Any later, and I would’ve starved to death here.” Yang Shuli stood up, but she clearly couldn’t reach the food.

“Are you that hungry?” Xu Nian stood up beside her and helped her pick up a lobster that looked rather elegant.

It was just a simple lobster, but by breaking it down into every part, processing, decorating, and refining it, it somehow turned into something ordinary people couldn’t afford.

And in terms of filling the stomach, it might not even compare to the original whole shrimp.

“Of course. Yesterday, I heard from our dorm’s Second Boss that Little Bird’s engagement banquet was today at noon. I immediately realized there would be a feast, so I skipped breakfast this morning just to save room for this meal.” Yang Shuli said and took a big bite of the lobster.

Then she seemed to have hit her tooth on something.

“You should still eat breakfast. Otherwise, your body might have problems later,” Xu Nian said as he arranged dishes on the table that Yang Shuli might like and put them in her bowl.

“I can take you out to eat whenever you want, but if you get sick and end up in the hospital, you might have to eat things you don’t like.”

Yang Shuli nodded while eating, clearly not listening at all.

Xu Nian could only sigh softly and patted her head affectionately.

Then, as she ate, Yang Shuli seemed to suddenly notice something.

She looked up at Ye Qingwan beside her, and then at Liu Liu on the other side of Ye Qingwan.

“Why aren’t you two eating?”

She asked out of genuine curiosity. She thought no one would refuse this table of delicious food, especially since it was free.

Ye Qingwan shot Yang Shuli a glare. “We’re not like you, skipping breakfast just to eat at a banquet. And we’re not starving either.”

“But didn’t you skip breakfast?” Yang Shuli tilted her head.

“Me skipping breakfast is my lifestyle habit, my instinct, understand?” Ye Qingwan poked Yang Shuli’s head with her finger. “Don’t you see the occasion? Is this an occasion where we can eat freely?”

The little dorm leader was baffled. She turned to look around, then leaned in and whispered to Ye Qingwan, “What occasion? Isn’t everyone eating? Do we have to wait until they’re done?”

Ye Qingwan didn’t respond. Liu Liu, however, took over the conversation.

“You’re not wrong, but we need to adjust it a bit.” Liu Liu twirled her golden hair with her finger. “We do need to eat, but we’re waiting for Little Bird to finish her duties.”

Yang Shuli suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right. It’s Little Bird’s engagement banquet. Little Bird herself should be eating too.”

Where was Zhu Qiu now? Yang Shuli really didn’t know.

After Zhu Qiu and Gou Yu hugged, the food started arriving, and her attention was entirely on the table.

Following Ye Qingwan and Liu Liu’s gaze, Yang Shuli looked at the others.

Among the seated guests, Gou Yu and Zhu Qiu, standing, stood out.

They seemed to be toasting. Yang Shuli watched as Gou Yu downed a whole glass of liquor, and Zhu Qiu followed by drinking a whole can of Wangzai milk.

“Alright.”

‘Since they are reasonable people, they can understand the situation. If they came back in a hurry and found only leftovers, no matter what, they wouldn’t be happy.’

“Then I was a bit inconsiderate just now,” Xu Nian also put down his chopsticks.

Although from the moment he started eating, he had been picking dishes for Yang Shuli.

He was a bit too concerned. He worried that since Yang Shuli hadn’t eaten breakfast and was delaying lunch, she might get sick from hunger.

So he took out a small bag of jam cookies from his pocket and placed them in Yang Shuli’s hand.

“I passed by a newly opened bakery and brought a bag. Try them. If you like them, we’ll go there next time.”

“Okay.”

Hungry Yang Shuli finally found her savior. She reached out, rubbed against Xu Nian, took out two cookies, fed one to Xu Nian, and stuffed the other into her own mouth.

“Hey, Xu, did you see that?” Yang Shuli asked as she chewed on the slightly sticky jam cookie, leaning against Xu Nian’s arm, resting on his side.

“See what?”

Xu Nian gently stroked Yang Shuli’s head, as if petting a small cat sleeping beside him.

“The proposal just now,” Yang Shuli said. “What did you think?”

Xu Nian had of course seen the proposal clearly.

He looked at Yang Shuli, who was staring blankly at the table.

Her expression was vacant, her eyes unfocused, her cheeks puffed as she chewed the jam cookie she had just stuffed in.

But Xu Nian could clearly read envy and longing from her.

That was something everyone had—a longing for happiness and affection. Yang Shuli naturally had it too.

“What did you think?” Xu Nian didn’t answer and instead asked her.

“I feel… we were just joking around together, and then suddenly she found her happiness. For a moment, I felt… what’s that word? Lost something? I forgot. Anyway, you know what I mean.”

“It’s ‘a sense of loss,’” Xu Nian reminded.

When the people around you start finding their own happiness, you instinctively awaken a desire for happiness.

But happiness is usually out of reach for ordinary people, or they have no clue how to achieve it.

Yang Shuli had psychological issues, serious ones.

But she also yearned for happiness.

Given her situation, it seemed too difficult.

However, she had Xu Nian by her side.

“It’s okay. I’ll propose to you too. Our engagement banquet won’t be any worse than this.”

Xu Nian lifted Yang Shuli onto his lap, leaned down, and whispered in her ear.