Jiang University, First Cafeteria. It was peak lunch hour, voices buzzing, the smell of hot food filling every corner.
To the ravenous Lu Chen, this scent was a supreme faith that made his very soul tremble.
He headed straight for the "Charity Support Window" in the far corner. To lower his presence, Lu Chen deliberately pulled up his hoodie and hunched his shoulders. But to everyone else, the visual was drastically different.
A two-meter-tall giant in black stood silently in the queue, radiating a cold, "keep away" gloom.
The already sparse line automatically split open the moment he approached—like Moses parting the Red Sea.
A few sports students who were cutting line and horsing around looked back at the black figure, instantly went quiet as winter cicadas, and silently pulled back their extended legs, thoughtfully clearing a path.
Lu Chen couldn't spare the energy to say thanks; he had to save every ounce of strength, even for opening his mouth.
He walked to the window. His massive shadow instantly engulfed the entire serving counter, blocking all overhead light.
The server was a new lady who had just started today. She was humming a tune, ready to wipe the table, when suddenly the sky went dark. She looked up and met a pair of bloodshot, sunken black eyes.
That gaze was glowing green with panic.
"Holy—!"
Lu Chen took a deep breath, his Adam's apple rolling with difficulty.
"Auntie..."
Due to nervousness and lack of use, his low, raspy voice sounded exactly like he was demanding a ransom.
"I want forty steamed buns. Twenty eggs. And one serving of... free vegetable soup. I'll eat twenty buns here, pack twenty to go."
"O-Okay..." The lady's voice was tight, but her movements were surprisingly fast.
She frantically grabbed two of the largest plastic bags, stuffing buns in as if fearing that a one-second delay would enrage the "beast" before her. Even when ladling the soup, her hand shook so much that she accidentally dumped half a ladle of minced meat into what was supposed to be dishwater-quality free soup.
In less than a minute, a small mountain of white steamed buns, along with a large basin of soup, was pushed to the window.
Lu Chen looked at the unexpected joy of minced meat, and his tense facial muscles finally relaxed a little. Though to others, it looked more like a satisfied, sinister sneer.
He picked up the heavy stainless steel tray and turned toward the darkest dead corner of the cafeteria.
Watching the terrifying back retreat, the new lady's legs went soft. She held onto the counter to stand, asking the senior employee next to her in a trembling voice, "Sister Wang... scared me to death... who was that giant? Is he a gangster? The way he looked at me, it was like he wanted to eat me..."
The veteran, Sister Wang, wiped her hands calmly, peeked at Lu Chen's huddled figure in the corner, and sighed.
"Don't be scared. That's Lu Chen from the Mathematics Department."
"Math Department?" The new lady's eyes went wide. "He looks like that and studies math? I thought he was here to collect a debt..."
"You can't judge a book by its cover," Sister Wang whispered while expertly clearing the cutting board. "As long as he doesn't get so hungry he mistakes us for buns... never mind, get back to work. Don't ask, you'll live longer."
When the new lady looked at the corner again, the fear in her eyes hadn't dissipated; it had only grown thicker.
...
In the corner. Facing the wall, back to the crowd—this was Lu Chen's safe zone.
He grabbed a bun. No need to chew; he swallowed it in two or three bites. No braised pork, no chicken legs, just cheap carbohydrates, boiled eggs, and free soup. But for Lu Chen, this was fuel to sustain life.
As the food entered his stomach, the pain searing his stomach lining finally began to recede, replaced by a warm current flowing through his veins to his limbs. His muscles, previously coiled tight like steel cables, finally began to relax.
Lu Chen looked at the crushed bun in his hand, then at his own calloused, overly large palm, and sighed helplessly.
This body was like a curse. Because of this damn metabolic rate, he couldn't save any money. His monthly pension was entirely swallowed by this mouth.
Gulp.
Swallowing the last egg, Lu Chen drank the last drop of soup, not sparing even the seaweed dregs at the bottom of the bowl.
Finally alive again.
Lu Chen stood up, walked to the card machine at the cafeteria entrance, and tapped his meal card. He needed to check how many days he could last.
Beep.
The screen lit up, flashing a line of piercing green light:
[Balance: 48.50 Yuan]
Lu Chen's pupils constricted violently. The faint happiness of being full vanished instantly.
There was still a whole week left in the month. 48 yuan and 50 cents. Based on his mandatory daily "fuel" consumption, this money would last until tomorrow night at most.
Lu Chen stared at the number, his knuckles turning white from the grip.
A sensation more terrifying than hunger crept into his heart—Poverty.
If he didn't get money, he would run out of food by the day after tomorrow. Once the food stopped, the terrifying "furnace" inside him would start to backlash, burning his fat, his muscles, and even... his sanity.
No way out.
Lu Chen gritted his teeth internally, recalling the announcement he saw on the academic system yesterday.
[Federal Special Talent Full Scholarship]
Amount: 20,000 Yuan.
As long as he secured this huge sum, he could fill this damn deficit next semester and even achieve his ultimate dream of "adding a chicken leg to every meal."
But before that, he had to pass one hurdle. Rumor had it that the person in charge of auditing this scholarship was the Student Council President, known as the "Iron Judge"—Gu She.
And on his own file, due to last month's military training, he was burdened with a massive suspicion of "Violent Tendencies."
Lu Chen took a deep breath, pulled his hoodie up to cover his face, and strode out of the cafeteria.
No matter how difficult the opponent was, for the sake of chicken legs, he was going all in.