Chapter 537 Specialization in One’s Field

Chapter 537: Master of One's Craft

In the lively night market, among the casually set-up stalls by the street.

Zuo Zuying and Su An commandeered a small square table, ordering a full spread of food. Su An held a heavily loaded skewer of grilled meat, her mouth greasy from eating.

Zuo Zuying pointed at the condiment plate beside her. "Don't just hog the meat. Let me tell you, the grilled squid paired with honey is out of this world."

Su An munched on her skewer. "No, I don’t like sweet dishes. I prefer this crispy and spicy flavor."

Zuo Zuying picked up a skewer of grilled squid and slathered it with honey. "You never listen to me, but I wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn't really good. Just try it."

Su An hesitated, then took the honey-coated squid and took a bite. Instantly, her face lit up.

"Huh, this actually has a kick to it!"

Zuo Zuying grinned, his eyes crinkling. "See? I didn’t lie to you. We’re hometown buddies, so we’ve got the same taste buds. If I think it’s good, you’ll definitely like it too."

"Don’t just eat the skewers. Have some of that dried shrimp-kelp bone broth, or you’ll get heartburn."

After finishing their meal, the two strolled through the night market, buying more snacks along the way. Sugar-coated hawthorns were only 15 mao, and scallion pancakes cost 20 mao.

When Zuo Zuying stopped at a pastry shop, he pointed at the treats inside and announced loudly, "Boss, give me one of each: dark plum cake, preserved plum cake, snowflake cake, red fruit cake, mint paste, mung bean cake, and that... what’s it called? Cass Plains mini cake, and egg roll cake. Pack them all to go."

Su An, who had been clutching her stomach, stepped forward and forcefully pulled down Zuo Zuying’s arm. "Are you crazy? This is called stuffing your face. I’m about to burst. If you want to eat, go ahead, but I can’t take another bite. I can barely walk."

Zuo Zuying replied nonchalantly, "Ah, it’s cool out—they’ll keep. They won’t go bad for a week. Just eat them slowly."

With that, he swiftly paid and took the string of packages from the shopkeeper.

"I can’t anymore. I gotta head back. Our dorm locks at night, and I won’t be able to get in soon," Su An said.

Zuo Zuying checked the time. "Yeah, it’s about time. Let’s head back. Oh, by the way, I asked around earlier—there’s a famous xiaolongbao place up ahead. They say it’s incredible, made with a secret family recipe. One bite, and the broth just gushes out. Smells divine."

"And there’s soy-braised duck, smoked fish, bang bang chicken..."

Su An shook her head. "No way. Next time. I can’t eat another bite."

Zuo Zuying nodded. "Fine, next time. Oh, when are you moving into the dorm? Need help? I’ve got something to give you."

"What is it?"

"You’ll find out when the time comes."

The two walked back to the campus. Su An stared at the darkened dormitory building and glared at Zuo Zuying. "See? I *told* you we needed to get back! Now we can’t get in!"

Zuo Zuying patted his chest. "Leave it to me. I’ll get you in. I’m a pro at this."

Su An scowled. "The dorm supervisor here isn’t easy to talk to."

Ignoring her, Zuo Zuying cleared his throat, walked up to the supervisor’s window, and tapped lightly. "Auntie~"

No response.

"Sister~"

"Pretty sister~"

Su An’s face cracked—his mouth was truly sweet...

A moment later, a flashlight lit up inside.

With a click, the window was pushed open, revealing the disheveled dorm counselor. "What do you want?"

Her gaze then fell on Su An, who was standing behind Zuo Zuying.

Zuo Zuying put on a fawning expression. "Sister, my younger sister went out to get study materials and got back late. Could you open the door for her?"

The dorm counselor snapped back, "If you knew it was late, why did you go out?"

Zuo Zuying immediately reached out, grabbed her sleeve and whined, "Sister, please open the door~ My sister ran back so fast it made her stomach hurt—look, she’s still holding it! Sister~"

Su An, who was indeed full...

The repeated "sister" made not just the dorm counselor but even Su An got goosebumps.

But the effect was unbelievably effective. The usually strict dorm counselor, despite her scowl, opened the door.

"Come back earlier next time."

"We will, thank you, sister! You're the best!" Zuo Zuying thanked her while waving at Su An to hurry inside.

Without hesitation, Su An rushed upstairs.

"Hey, wait, wait—your pastries!"

As Su An turned back, Zuo Zuying shoved a bundle of pastries into her hands.

"Hurry up!"

With the dorm counselor watching, Su An couldn’t linger. She carried the bags upstairs.

Reaching the second floor, she looked down from the hallway to see Zuo Zuying still standing under the streetlight, waving at her. "Off I go!"

Then came the dorm counselor’s scolding, "Who asked you to stay? Get out of here already, so noisy!"

Followed by Zuo Zuying’s dramatic, fake-whiny voice, "Sister, you’re so mean~"

Su An smiled faintly as she waved back. "Be careful on your way."

Back in her dorm, she pulled out a flashlight, poured water from the thermos, gave herself a quick wash, and went to bed and slept soundly all night.

The next day, Su An went to the counselor about moving off-campus. Since she had already applied last semester and the school had even contacted Wang Xiaocui, the process wasn’t complicated.

Su An was going to rent a place outside—a huge news that nearly sent Dorm 206 into celebration.

Zhou Yuanning and the others were practically ready to set off firecrackers, walking on eggshells as if afraid Su An might suddenly change her mind.

Meanwhile, Jiang Liping from the neighboring Dorm 205 was almost in tears, reluctant to see Su An go.

Chen Wende also came to talk to Su An. "Su An, staying in the school dorm is safer and cheaper, not to mention free. You really shouldn’t move out. I’ve heard it’s pretty chaotic outside."

"I know your family is comfortable, but as a girl, it’s better to stay with everyone, under the dorm counselor’s supervision..."

Su An knew Chen Wende meant well and patiently explained.

"Back at home, I always had my own room. Sharing a room with five people now has been really hard to adjust to, and there’s plenty of conflict in our dorm. That’s the first reason."

"The second reason is, besides personal habits, I want to start a small studio. Moving out will make things much easier for me right now."

"Moreover, the place I found is right across the street from the school, with the landlady auntie's shop downstairs. Safety's totally fine, and it's literally just minutes away from campus."

Chen Wende looked puzzled. "You're starting a studio?"

"What kind of studio?"

Su An didn't hide it from him. Earlier, Zuo Zuying had mentioned she'd need help for this, and the first person Su An thought of was Chen Wende—he's studying market economics and was always looking for part-time work in his free time.

The second, naturally, was Jiang Liping, a classmate from their department.