章 7: Cafeteria
Just 3 steps out of the class, a voice called out after me:
"You're an international student, right?"
I turned to the owner of the voice.
She had a petit build, short silky black ponytail, small cleared rimmed glasses paired with a white T-shirt and shorts to go with it.
Dang, she kinda cute…
"Yep." I answered. "I am from Canada."
"I see. Because you don't sound like a local."
"I know that too." I nodded. "What's your name?"
"Yang."
"I see. Where are you going next?" I asked.
"To the cafeteria." She replied.
"Ah, I plan to go eat as well. Mind if I come with you?"
"Sure."
"Which cafeteria are you eating at?" I asked to make sure, since there was like over 5 cafeteria in my university.
"The center one."
"I see."
"Oh yeah, where are you from?"
"Yu-nan." She answered.
"Ah, I haven't been there yet. I only been to like the 4 first line cities and some of the second line cities." I replied, as we both descended the stairs.
"My hometown is pretty isolated, it's not likely you heard of it before." She replied as we reach the bottom of the stairs.
"Fair enough." I replied as we both exit the building.
"So what major are you in?" I asked, just running down my list of basic uni questions.
"Logistics." She replied. "What major are you in?"
"I am currently learning Chinese, as that will be the case for me for the first two years." At this point I pretty much have all the answers for this type of question rehearsed.
Right up ahead, the entrance to the center cafeteria was like ant hole in their rush hour.
"Looks like this is gonna be a long line…" I commented.
"Yeah the center cafeteria is always like that." She added.
"Dang. Do you have a class after?" I asked with no particular intent.
"I have a math class at 7pm."
"What level math?" I asked for clarification. Since the math in our uni is divided into several levels, with E being the lowest and A being the highest. With the exemption of math majors who learn even harder than A, which would explain the baldness. And me being the opposite of math prodigy have always looked up to people who are good at math. I know its kind of ironic myself that I am Asian, yet I somehow failed pre-calculus 11 now, which makes me pretty much fail as an Asian.
"Level B." she answered.
"Why you gotta be so good?"
"Not really, our major is required to learn this level of math." She said giggly.
"Dang." I commented as we enter inside the building.
"Which floor do you usually eat at?" she asked.
"The 2nd floor." I replied. There were 5 cafeterias in our school, with each having at least 2 floors, with the exception of the central cafeteria having 3 floors. "Which floor do you usually eat at?"
"2nd floor too, except I eat on the right side."
"Ah, I personally eat on the left side." The food in each cafeteria was drastically different. With each cafeteria catering to a group of people from specific regions. There is a cafeteria right next to my dorm, but I don't like that one since it's just too bland taste for me.
Anyways our lineup, or should I say struggle starts at the bottom of the stairs of floor 1. Saying the line is a mile long is not too far off a hyperbole.
"So do you play any games?" I asked. Since I personally say gaming is the easiest way one can find common ground and interest with.
"I play mobile legends."
"Oh…" my voice dropped, as I was one of the single digit people on the planet who doesn't play that game. "I don't play that game, but I do play league of legends." I said as our line slowly inched upwards the stair.
"Ah, league of legends is too hard. I usually just play mobile legends during break."
"Fair enough. So, do you watch any anime?"
"I watch Inu-yashu, Naruto, Detective Conan, Natsume's book of friends, One piece…"
"Dang. I only watched Detective Conan and One piece out of all of those. I watched One piece all the way up to about ep 550. I kinda stopped after the fisherman island arc, as I feel the show was dropping off from there."
"I didn't really watch the anime, I read more of the manga."
"Fair enough." I replied, as we finally reach the 2nd floor. And from there the line moved like a stream.
Then we reached the tray area, and from there we each grabbed our own tray. The way with how this particular cafeteria works is that, all dish are placed on a small plate and you can just grab the dish and just pay for it in the end. Personally I prefer spicier and saltier food, but here in Shanghai, food is generally sweeter, which I haven't really grown accustomed to. Once we filled our trays with the dish we wanted, we got to the cashier and took out our student ID to scan and pay for it (since you can load money into the student ID, and the cafeteria only accepts payment from the student ID).
The tables at the cafeteria was a sea of buzz, with empty seats dotted here and there. And there, I spotted a pair of empty seats in the corner, which we had to carefully maneuver ourselves through a jungle of chairs and people to get to. And once we both settled down, I took another moment to think.
I already tried gaming and anime, and it still seems we don't have anything much in common…
Wait! There is still one more thing that might spike some conversation…
"Sorry this question is a little private, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"It's ok, just ask."
"So is there anyone you like here in this Uni?"
"Not really. I had a boyfriend back in high school. But after I came to Tongji, I broke up with him."
"Ah, understandable. Apparently from what I heard there this modern tradition, where a couple confesses to one another after the final exam, and then be together during the summer break. And immediately break up in the first semester of Uni."
"Ah, there is something like that."
"So did you confess to him after the final exam too?"
"Nope. I confessed all the way back in grade 11, and we were together since."
"Ah, so what kind of guy is he?"
"He's really good at basketball. He was the school basketball captain in my high school. And he is on the current basketball team of his Uni."
"Which Uni is he?"
"Tsing Hua University."
Tsing Hua University is one of China's two best university, and getting into there as a local student is 10 times harder than getting into Harvard, which is no exaggeration and probably even an understatement.
"Dang." I commented.
"Yeah, back in high school, he was one of the most popular people in the class. Like half of the girl in the class liked him."
"Wait, how many people were in your class?"
"Uhhh…About 60?..."
"Dang, that's somewhere at least a dozen then…"
"Yeah. I had a crush on him for over a year, and I didn't want to drag it on, as several other girls already confessed to him at the time."
"I see."
"It turns out, we both had a crush on each other, and after I confessed to him, we were together for about 2 years."
"Ah nice…Then what caused the break up?"
"Mainly distance. I just know long distance relationships doesn't work. So I broke up with him at the end of last semester."
I felt a pang in my chest.
"Do you still talk to one another?" I asked, as a painful memory nudged me at the side.
"Yeah, we are still friends. We still went out together last winter break."
"En…" My lips drew into a line. "Well, that's…nice. Anyways if you need help with English, just come to me."
"Sure." She said.
"And I could use some help for math from you in the future too." I forced a smile.
"Sure." She said pretty casually.
I stood up and looked away. Hoping she didn't see it…
Q: How do you deal with a painful relationship memory?
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