Chapter 301 - 171: Supermarket Receipt (Part 2)

Chapter 301: Chapter 171: Supermarket Receipt (Part 2)

"Let’s go, let’s go! Xiaozhuo, Chu Ge, we’ve gotta follow him and check it out."

Dayong started putting on his clothes as he headed for the door.

"If he goes alone and gets himself into an awkward spot, at least we can go smooth things over and drag him back!"

Chen Zhuo sat in his chair.

He listened to Chu Ge’s report and watched Dayong get ready to go provide backup.

Chen Zhuo’s gaze lifted from the wind tunnel data in his hands.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He really hadn’t expected Lu Jia to act so quickly. He had only just dismantled his mental barriers the day before yesterday, and now Lu Jia was already heading onto the battlefield.

Seeing Dayong’s frantic rushing, Chu Ge also stomped his feet anxiously by the door.

Chen Zhuo couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

He decisively slapped the few pages of data he was holding face down on the table, then grabbed a dictionary to hold them in place.

"Let’s go."

Chen Zhuo stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and putting it on.

He adjusted his collar and slipped the dorm key into his pocket.

"Let’s go see this together."

Chen Zhuo’s tone was relaxed, tinged with a bit of anticipation.

"Dayong’s right. His head is probably a total mess right now. We should go keep an eye on him. If he really chokes and it gets too ugly, we can just step in and pull him out."

The three of them didn’t waste any more words.

They pulled open the dorm room door and clattered down the stairs.

It was a mid-March afternoon, and the sun was shining brightly.

Along both sides of the campus’s main road, new green buds on the French plane trees swayed gently in the breeze. Students occasionally walked by, holding books on their way to class or the library.

Chen Zhuo and the other two left the dormitory building, jogging all the way toward the main road.

As they neared the intersection with the main road, Chu Ge, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He stuck out an arm, stopping Chen Zhuo and Dayong behind him.

"There he is."

Chu Ge lowered his voice and pointed ahead.

Looking in the direction Chu Ge was pointing, they saw him.

Beside the main road was a row of holly bushes, over half a person tall and extremely dense. Just in front and to the side of the bushes stood a bulletin board used for club posters.

And there, under a sturdy camphor tree about ten meters diagonally in front of the bulletin board, was Lu Jia.

He was standing ramrod straight.

"Quick, hide."

Dayong clapped Chu Ge on the shoulder.

The three of them immediately ducked down and, using the roadside greenery for cover, scurried behind the row of holly bushes and the bulletin board.

It was a perfect spot.

Through the gaps in the holly leaves and the space at the edge of the bulletin board, they had a clear view of the main road without being easily spotted by passersby.

The three of them squatted on the dirt ground without a care for their appearance.

It had rained for a few days, so the dirt under the bushes was a bit damp and soft underfoot.

Before long, their shoes and pant legs were splattered with mud.

"Ouch, damn, this branch is killing me."

Chu Ge complained in a low voice, pushing aside a holly branch in front of him as he adjusted his squatting position.

"Keep your voice down."

Dayong shot him a glare and nudged him with his elbow.

"Don’t let Lu Jia hear you."

Chen Zhuo squatted beside them.

His hands rested casually on his knees, completely unconcerned about the mud on his pant legs. He quietly observed Lu Jia through a gap in the leaves.

Lu Jia did not look like he was doing well.

A spring breeze blew past, casting the mottled shadow of the camphor tree onto his clean white shirt. His hands were pressed tightly against the seams of his pants.

He had been standing there for a while without changing his posture at all, as if someone had hit the pause button.

"What’s this kid doing?"

Chu Ge’s legs were starting to ache from squatting. He shifted his weight to his other foot and muttered with a frown.

"Did he come here to stand guard like a security guard? Where’s the target? Did he get the time wrong? Maybe she’s not even taking this road today?"

Dayong craned his neck from the side.

His brows were knitted into a knot, his face a mask of anxious impatience.

"What do you know? This is called psyching yourself up."

Dayong looked at Lu Jia’s stiff back, clicking his tongue sympathetically.

"Oh my god, look how tense the kid is. Even from this far away, it looks like he can’t breathe. What’s he gonna do? I hope he doesn’t just pass out on the spot."

Just as the two were whispering to each other, two female figures appeared at the far end of the main road.

One of them, wearing a light-colored trench coat and holding two thick textbooks, was chatting and laughing with her friend as they walked along the side of the road toward them.

Lu Jia’s body suddenly went taut.

Like a bowstring pulled to its limit.

Behind the bushes, Chu Ge sucked in a sharp breath.

"Here she comes, here she comes!"

Chu Ge grabbed Dayong’s arm, his fingers digging into his friend’s jacket.

"Target acquired."

The three of them instantly fell silent.

They all held their breath in unison, six eyes glued to the scene unfolding not far away.

The distance closed, bit by bit.

Ten meters.

Five meters.

Just as the upperclassman in the trench coat was about to brush past Lu Jia...

Lu Jia took a deep breath.

And finally moved.

He took a huge step forward, abruptly and without warning, blocking the upperclassman’s path.

The upperclassman was startled by the figure who had suddenly lunged out.

She stopped instinctively, looking at him with some surprise.

Her friend also froze, looking quizzically at the red-faced younger student in the white shirt.

Lu Jia just stood there.

From more than ten meters away, the three behind the bushes couldn’t hear what they were saying.