Warm Rain on Lychees [College Campus]

This story has 50% anti-theft protection, with a 6-hour delay.

[Cartoon-style ray of sunshine × physics graduate student]

[Passionate food-streaming girl × seemingly aloof but secretly sensual man with an eating disorder]

At eleven at night, Cheng Shu clicked into that local livestream as usual.

Onscreen, a girl with her hair in a bun was grinning at a pot of beef brisket and tomatoes bubbling away, steam fogging up the whole frame.

"You have to blanch the brisket for exactly three minutes. One second more and it'll get tough; one second less and it'll still taste gamey... Oh, welcome, 'User847263'! It's so late. Haven't you eaten yet?"

Cheng Shu's finger paused.

Then he opened a food delivery app without changing his expression, searched for "Yu's Home Cooking by Yu," and ordered the beef brisket and tomato set meal.

When the food arrived, there was a handwritten note stuck to the insulated bag: "Pretty girl or handsome guy, you've ordered from us for twenty-eight days in a row! Here's a gift for a VIP, a little tiger I drew myself. Hope you have a happy day, every day!"

Cheng Shu looked at the crooked tiger, which resembled a potato possessed by a spirit, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Not long after, a friend dragged Cheng Shu to a club mixer. The first thing he saw when he walked in was a girl in the corner. Long hair, almond-shaped eyes, and a smile that curved her eyes into crescents. She was excitedly recording a voice message to a friend: "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I met him in person! He's a million times better-looking than in the photos! A face like that is too amazing not to draw fan comics about!"

Cheng Shu stopped in his tracks, then turned and walked away as if he'd made up his mind about something.

One day, he accidentally came across a thick stack of hand-drawn comics. The cover read Cheng Shu Observation Diary 2.0.

The first page said:

"Today's observation: He drinks soy milk without sugar. Does he think life is already bitter enough? No way, I absolutely won't allow that!"

Beside it was a picture of a rabbit holding a spoonful of sugar, chasing down a cat with an expressionless face and trying to force-feed it.

Later, Cheng Shu became a regular at the restaurant run by Yu Li's family, always sitting by the window in the corner at the same time each day.

When Yu's mother brought out the steamed sea bass, she lowered her voice. "Xiao Cheng, Xiao Li is drawing you again today. She's already on her third book. Are you going to do something about it?"

Cheng Shu leisurely picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks. "Auntie, I've already reserved the third one."

A little later, one evening, Yu Li was livestreaming as usual while making tiramisu, and Cheng Shu sat quietly beside her, reading research papers.

As she beat the egg whites, Yu Li chatted away. "Everyone, the secret to tiramisu is making sure the coffee soaks all the way through the ladyfingers, just like..."

"Just like my feelings for you. They need time to soak all the way through."

Cheng Shu's voice came from offscreen, calm and quiet.

Yu Li's hand jerked, and the electric mixer nearly flew away. She turned her stiff neck and saw Cheng Shu still bent over his paper, as if the words she'd just heard were only her imagination.

The comments instantly went wild:

"Wait, did somebody just confess?!"

"Is that deep, magnetic voice a hallucination?!"

"Streamer, stop pretending! Your face is red all the way to your neck!!"

"I've watched for three months and I'm screaming. Aaaah, brother-in-law finally said something!!"

"I'm dying. Brother-in-law is still pretending to read his paper, but he's holding it upside down!!!"

"Oh my God, how is this livestream sweeter than a romance drama?!"

"Cheng Shu," Yu Li said, biting her lower lip, her voice trembling. "I didn't turn off the livestream..."

Cheng Shu finally raised his head. His eyes curved slightly behind his glasses, like melting snow. "I know."

He suddenly closed his paper and propped his chin on one hand, looking over at her with an especially innocent expression. "What, you flirted with me for three months and drew three comic books about me, but now you don't plan to take responsibility?"

"Oh my God, he called her big sister!!!!"

"Aaaaah, he's so sly, I love it!!!"

"Chef Yu, stand your ground! Don't let this green-tea cat manipulate you!!"

"I'm dying. Isn't the streamer usually so talkative? Why can't she get a single word out now?!"

The comments went completely wild.

Sweet Little Scene 1

Yu Li noticed that every time Cheng Shu came to the restaurant, he wore headphones and watched something on his tablet.

She quietly crept up behind him. On the screen was a replay of her livestream.

A comment floated by: The streamer is so cute, I want to marry her.

Without changing his expression, Cheng Shu pressed and held the screen, then tapped "Report."

Reason: Spreading inappropriate information.

Sweet Little Scene 2

Someone made a snide remark about Yu Li's livestream, saying, "She just gets by on her looks."

Cheng Shu, who was usually silent, suddenly spoke up. "Her cooking won a provincial competition's gold medal. Her video editing won a university creative award. Her comics were shortlisted for the Golden Dragon Award. And you..."

He looked the other person up and down, his expression blank. "Your resume probably has only one thing worth mentioning: 'Can type on the internet.'"

Yu Li stood beside him, completely dumbfounded.

Later, she wrote in her little notebook: Cheng Shu doesn't talk much because he's saving all his lines for the perfect moment.

Sweet Little Scene 3

Back when Yu Li was pursuing him, she waited outside the physics building every day.

Cheng Shu's friend asked him, "That girl is waiting for you again. What's your deal with her?"

Cheng Shu organized his experimental data without even looking up. "I'm waiting for her to give up."

"What if she doesn't give up?"

His pen paused. He said softly, "Then don't blame me for not letting her go."

Theme: Make sure you all eat well~