Chapter 33: Unlucky? It’s Clearly a Stroke of Romance

Noticing Li Sicheng’s unusual behavior, Zeng Yi couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “Brother Chen, why are you so distracted while eating? You keep looking around—what are you watching for?”

Li Sicheng picked up a steamed bun from his tray, dipped it in the vegetable broth, and took a large bite before replying, “I’m watching to see from which direction misfortune will strike and whether there’s any way to avoid it.”

As he spoke, his vigilance did not waver in the slightest; his eyes continued to scan the surroundings.

“Brother Chen, you’ve already eaten the chicken leg, so there’s no point pretending anymore,” Zeng Yi scoffed, clearly not believing the superstition that eating a chicken leg would bring bad luck. He glanced around and suddenly seemed to understand. “Oh, I get it now—you’re checking out the girls, aren’t you? Honestly, the girls at our school are all quite pretty. Lots of guys from other schools want to come here just to find a girlfriend!”

“I’m not checking out girls,” Li Sicheng hurriedly clarified.

“Alright, alright, no need to deny it. We’re both guys—I know what you’re thinking. Too bad it’s winter now and everyone’s bundled up. If it were summer, with the girls in their light dresses and the river breeze blowing… ah, such a beautiful sight could make a man’s nosebleed!” Zeng Yi snickered, his tone as lecherous as it could be.

Li Sicheng rolled his eyes, giving up on talking to Zeng Yi. He knew that no matter what he said, Zeng Yi would twist his words and drag the conversation into the gutter. This chubby fellow had no other talent, but his ability to misinterpret others was first-rate!

Though he fell silent, Zeng Yi didn’t care and continued talking to himself, “Hey, Brother Chen, look, those girls over there are really cute. Wow… they’re walking this way! Too bad there are no empty seats next to us. Otherwise, sharing a meal with a few beauties would be quite the treat.”

Li Sicheng quickly turned his head aside, almost wanting to write “I don’t know this guy” on his face.

At that moment, the girls Zeng Yi mentioned came closer. Zeng Yi cleared his throat, wiped the lewd grin off his face, and sat up straight, adopting a solemn demeanor. Even his wolfing down of food slowed considerably.

Clearly, he wanted to leave a good impression on these girls. Luckily, there were no knives and forks on his tray—otherwise, he’d probably try to cut his spicy chicken cubes with a flourish as if dining at a fancy restaurant.

Zeng Yi’s performance made Li Sicheng both amused and exasperated. He leaned over and whispered in Zeng Yi’s ear, “Stop pretending, or you’ll look like a complete fool.”

“What do you mean?” Zeng Yi was baffled.

Li Sicheng explained, “What do you think I mean? If you keep pretending, you’ll look like an idiot! Didn’t you notice everyone around is laughing at you? Listen, buddy, being silly suits you—don’t try to act serious.”

“You’re right. I don’t really fit the serious type, do I?” Zeng Yi nodded, surprisingly agreeing with Li Sicheng.

While the two whispered to each other, the pretty girls approached with their trays but walked past them, heading for a few empty seats further back. Then, whether it was because the cafeteria floor was too slippery or for some other reason, one of the girls near Li Sicheng suddenly lost her footing and stumbled.

Thanks to the help of her friends, the girl didn’t fall, but the tray in her hands flew out and, by sheer bad luck, landed right on Li Sicheng, spilling food all over him.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…” The girl, flustered at causing trouble, hurriedly apologized to Li Sicheng.

Li Sicheng, however, remained calm. He plucked a piece of lettuce off his face, popped it into his mouth, and chewed with a helpless sigh, “Well, I still couldn’t avoid it.”

He was, of course, referring to the misfortune brought on by eating the chicken leg. But the girl didn’t know that and thought he meant he couldn’t dodge her spilled food. She apologized again, “I’m really sorry—it was an accident. I don’t know what happened, my foot just slipped. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spilled everything on you…”

Instead of getting angry, Li Sicheng waved reassuringly, “It’s fine, really. I don’t blame you. This was fate—a calamity brought by the chicken leg. Even if you hadn’t spilled your food on me, something else would’ve gone wrong.”

He then turned to the dumbfounded Zeng Yi and said, “Well? I told you eating the chicken leg would bring misfortune, but you didn’t believe me. Now you see?”

His words, however, only made the girl more anxious.

“Oh no, he must have something wrong with his head! I clearly spilled food on him, yet he’s blaming the chicken leg. There wasn’t even a chicken leg on my tray! I’ve heard of people losing their minds after a head injury, but not from being doused with food…” The girl was utterly bewildered.

At that moment, Zeng Yi spoke up, “Brother Chen, was it really the chicken leg?”

“How come this chubby guy is talking about the chicken leg too? Maybe he’s not right in the head either?” The girl was completely lost.

Li Sicheng had no idea that in this girl’s mind, he was now classified as ‘mentally challenged.’ Seeing Zeng Yi still doubting, he replied irritably, “What else? Do I look like an unlucky person to you?”

“Damn!” Zeng Yi couldn’t help but exclaim. “So, turns out oranges with mooncakes, potatoes with spicy sticks—those so-called weird dishes—are nothing compared to the chicken leg! The chicken leg is the true cursed food of the school cafeteria! No, it’s not a chicken leg—it’s a damned cursed chicken leg!”

“Um…” The girl had no idea what they were talking about, but after a moment’s hesitation, she said, “Hey, your clothes are all dirty now. Why don’t you come to our dorm? Take your jacket off, and I’ll wash it for you and dry it with a hair dryer.”

Though she didn’t understand the whole chicken leg business, she knew the food on Li Sicheng’s clothes was her fault. The oil on his face was easily wiped off, but if the stains on his jacket weren’t cleaned immediately, they’d leave a mark. Since she caused the problem, it was only right for her to help him clean it up—her conscience wouldn’t allow otherwise.

“There’s no need,” Li Sicheng politely declined.

“There is, there is. Don’t worry, I’ll have your jacket cleaned and dried in no time—you won’t miss your afternoon classes.” The girl was clearly a person of character. Having made up her mind to make amends, she grabbed Li Sicheng and led him away without another word.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to call to her roommate, “Yanyan, pack a meal for me and bring it back to the dorm.”

“Okay!” the girl called Yanyan replied, sneaking another glance at Li Sicheng and thinking enviously to herself, “He’s so handsome! Who’d have thought Mo Ke would end up with such a stroke of luck and strike up a conversation with a good-looking guy because of this… Hm, maybe I could try this method myself in the future!”

Zeng Yi was dumbfounded by the whole turn of events. He stood there for a long moment before coming to his senses and exclaimed, “Is that what you call bad luck? Are you kidding me? That’s pure good fortune—a lucky encounter with a beauty! Damn it, why can’t I have that kind of luck? Getting into the girls’ dorm, and being dragged in by a pretty girl! I’m so envious! Brother Chen, you’re incredible!”

By this time, Li Sicheng had already been whisked out of the cafeteria by Mo Ke.