Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 1237 9 steamed buns, 1 person, 3 bowls

Miss Yuan was very angry, but she had every right to be, since she was just an abstract concept, not stupid. However, He Xiaoyue was caught in the crossfire because she genuinely didn't see it at all.

'Ding~'

Just then, Liu Ruyan's phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was a message from Lin Mo, telling her to go back and rest if she had nothing else to do, as he had some things to take care of.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ruyan immediately knew she had guessed correctly. She then stood up, and Miss Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

"Of course we should go upstairs and rest. My brother said he still has things to do over there, and we can't help by just waiting here. So we might as well go back first!"

"Oh, it's such a pity. I specially changed into this outfit today, but I didn't get to show it off enough!" Liu Ruyan said with some regret.

Anyway, she quite liked standing next to Lin Mo and receiving his amazed gaze.

Especially in the eyes of Lin Mo's classmates, who looked at him as if he had gotten a great deal, she felt secretly pleased just looking at them.

However, the time was too short. There was a chance when the two first met, but they weren't together yet. After they got together, Lin Mo's classmates had already gone out to do internships.

If only it had been two years earlier, she could have picked Lin Mo up from school every day after work, changing her clothes every day for a whole year without repeating the same outfit.

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan rolled her eyes at him: "Go away and be sassy. I can tell you're up to no good just by looking at your scheming clothes today."

"Why are you going back? The class monitor said she has some big news to share, she'll be back in a bit and wants to tell us. Aren't you going to stay and listen?"

"No, the so-called big news is definitely about that old Zhao. Besides, my brother will definitely tell me the details when he comes back tonight. What am I waiting here for? I'm leaving!" With that, Liu Ruyan walked mysteriously through the back door back upstairs in the apartment complex.

Miss Yuan gritted her teeth upon seeing this. Today, Liu Ruyan really put on a big show. If she had known that she would come dressed as Hu Tao, she would have gone on a killing spree!

He Xiaoyue was filled with envy. That face, that figure, that temperament, and that killer look in her eyes that belonged only to her sister—she absolutely loved it.

If she didn't know she liked men, she would have thought she was gay. Of course, if she had an older sister like that, she wouldn't have to be so strict about gender.

Miss Yuan and the others were enjoying the air conditioning and eating melons, living a leisurely life. But Lin Mo and his two companions were not so relaxed, standing outside the girls' dormitory for several hours.

During this time, Lin Mo was approached by people because of modeling. Of course, the main thing was that the girl from Sichuan was recognized twice. Fortunately, everyone here was a senior student who had to catch the high-speed train, otherwise the girl from Sichuan would definitely not be doing well today.

Around 5 p.m., Lao Zhao walked out of the dormitory building carrying a small cardboard box. Upon seeing this, the three of them quickly surrounded him.

Nobody knows what Lao Zhao was doing up there for those two hours. Luckily, it was the day students were leaving school. If it were any other time, Lao Zhao would have been arrested by the security guards long ago.

However, it wasn't without its advantages; at least after Old Zhao came out, he calmed down considerably.

"Old Zhao," the Sichuan girl stepped forward to ask.

Old Zhao shook his head and chuckled, "It's nothing. I should thank you three for keeping me company!"

"Why say all that? We're your brothers, why would we just stand by and watch you suffer here alone? Alright, are you hungry? Take the stuff back and find somewhere to eat!" Lin Mo patted Lao Zhao on the shoulder.

When faced with this situation, the biggest difference between men and women is that women will gently comfort them and say nice things, but men won't. It's not that they can't say comforting words, but that men know clearly that no matter how nice the words are, it's useless; they still have to process the situation themselves.

As friends, the three of them believed that Lao Zhao could pull through, so there was no need for words of comfort; they would simply show their support by being there for him.

"Okay, it's my treat. Let's go to that authentic mutton stew place behind the Academy of Fine Arts. We often go there, and it's pretty good!" Old Zhao said.

The three nodded in agreement. They knew that Old Zhao was just being sentimental, but there was nothing they could do. Let him go. At least he had some reaction, which was better than him being like a block of wood for the past two days.

When faced with a major setback, I'm not afraid to wail and make a scene by myself; what I fear most is being left speechless.

Crying is at least a way of venting emotions and showing sadness, which is normal. But if someone doesn't say a word, they might be holding back something big. So, Lao Zhao's reaction is actually a good thing.

"Well, I'll go back to the dorm with Lao Zhao first. You two go back and get ready. Call Sister Yuan and the others, and then we'll all meet at the studio," Lin Mo said meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Director Wang and Sister Chuan finally realized their mistake and understood instantly, nodding in agreement.

Lin Mo then walked slowly behind Lao Zhao, while Chuan Mei and the other girl ran back. Lin Mo's words clearly meant that the two girls should go back and prepare their luggage, as the three of them would be moving back to the dormitory tonight.

The two of them naturally dared not neglect this matter. Fortunately, they hadn't thrown away their luggage when they moved out, otherwise they wouldn't know where to find their luggage to move back now.

Because of his frugality, even though he is now living with the squad leader and they have changed to a new four-piece bedding set, Wang still keeps all his old luggage.

Chuanmei was simply too poor when she moved out. She didn't earn much money to begin with, and she still had to upgrade her equipment, buy clothes, and even borrow money from Lin Mo.

However, after he started making a lot of money, he didn't throw away his old things.

Lin Mo and Chuan Mei walked slowly. After returning home, they started rummaging through their belongings. Actually, there wasn't much stuff. It was just a bed and toiletries from their old dormitory. They didn't even need to take a change of clothes.

After Lin Mo and his companion returned to their dormitory, Lao Zhao began to arrange the contents of the cardboard box one by one on his desk.

Lin Mo sat in his chair and said in a deep voice, "Alright, the tickets have been refunded. Anyway, don't think about leaving for now. Stay a few more days."

Don't think about anything these next two days, just relax. Chuanzi and I are here, so if there's anything you can't come over to, we'll be there.

"If you've really made up your mind and want to leave, I definitely won't stop you!" Hearing this, Old Zhao didn't reply. He casually picked up the lucky charm pendant, tied it to his phone case, and then said, "Let's go get some mutton stew!"

"to make!"

The two had just left the dormitory when Chuanmei and Wang Chu drove downstairs, and then each of them carried a quilt back in.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo brought Lao Zhao to the studio. As soon as they entered, the once bustling studio fell silent. Miss Yuan, He Xiaoyue, and the class monitor all turned to look at Director Wang.

"Well, bro, that's all in the past. Sister Yuan's treating us later—no, in Jiangning, whatever you want to do, Sister Yuan's on the house. You..."

Miss Yuan was a little embarrassed, and then spoke first, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

He Xiaoyue's gaze towards Lao Zhao was complex, yet tinged with sympathy.

The class monitor lowered her head somewhat awkwardly; it was obvious that the news had come from her.

Seeing this, Lin Mo was taken aback, but Lao Zhao smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll treat everyone to mutton stew later to thank you all for taking care of me these past two days!"

"Hey? Old Zhao, you're really not leaving?" He Xiaoyue exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo quickly chimed in, "Let's refund Lao Zhao's ticket and let him stay a little longer. Maybe he won't leave at all!"

Old Zhao didn't answer this question, but subconsciously pursed his lips.

Soon, Director Wang and Chuanmei came running back. Seeing everyone there, Chuanmei smiled and joked, "Oh dear, let's eat quickly, I'm starving! Old Zhao is treating!"

"Okay, all you can eat!" Old Zhao laughed.

Upon hearing the words "all you can eat," Miss Yuan's eyes lit up instantly. Rice was her favorite thing.

Immediately, everyone stood up and left the studio, then the group headed towards the back gate of the neighboring art academy.

Lin Mo naturally came to the end of the line, raised an eyebrow at the class monitor, and whispered, "How did you know?"

Judging from the expressions of the three people when the two just came in, it was obvious that they knew the news, but Director Wang didn't tell the squad leader.

Upon hearing this, the squad leader rolled his eyes at him and whispered, "Of course it was those three girls on the bus who said it. I didn't even ask them; they just chattered away on and on. It's hard not to know."

Old Zhao, he…

"It's okay, he can pull through. The three of us are just worried about him leaving like this. Chuanzi wants to keep Lao Zhao here. His condition is the same anywhere, and we have more people here."

However, I think it's a bit risky. Old Zhao's heart isn't here, and besides, he has too many memories of this place. It's probably better to go to an unfamiliar place to get over this kind of thing faster.

"Even if he's going to leave, we need to let him recover a bit. I'm really afraid he'll suddenly die one day in this state," Lin Mo said with a sigh.

Logically speaking, staying here is indeed a good option, but it's inevitable that the scenery will trigger painful memories. There's no way to offer genuine advice; they can only try their best to help him emotionally. However, they need to take care of Old Zhao's health. They have to prioritize both his mental and physical well-being.

As they spoke, the group quickly arrived at the back gate of the neighboring art academy and followed Lao Zhao into a small restaurant serving authentic mutton stew.

The shop is small, but very clean.

"Boss, I'll have a bowl and a steamed bun. This place is really good. You guys should try it. Order as much as you want!" Old Zhao said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone placed their orders without much thought, and the owner cheerfully came over to take notes until he asked Miss Yuan.

Boss: "How many steamed buns?"

Miss Yuan: "Nine!"

The shopkeeper said, "Young lady, the steamed buns at my place are big. Don't be silly, you definitely can't finish them. Are you here together, or do you have other friends who didn't come?"

Miss Yuan: "Of course we're together, but I'll have nine steamed buns, three bowls of rice, dry bread, a mouthful of soup, and water all around! Understand?"

Upon hearing this, the boss instantly realized he had encountered a seasoned foodie, and immediately switched to a fighting expression.

You have to understand, people who are so particular about food are either seasoned gourmets or there to cause trouble. If you don't serve them well, you'll ruin your own reputation.

Although he runs a restaurant in another city, it's under the brand of authentic Xi'an mutton stew. If a seasoned foodie finds fault with it, he'll be bringing shame to his hometown.

"Alright, just you wait and see!"

The boss turned around and prepared to put all his skills to use.

(End of this chapter)