Chapter 50: Egg Tart
Near Qingchuan University, there was a bustling commercial street, filled with a constant stream of young people. The boys were sunny and handsome, the girls dressed to the nines, creating a feast for the eyes everywhere you looked.
An Zhi walked through the crowd with her head down, her small figure inconspicuous. Compared to the young women who were confidently showing off their youth, she wore a pink shirt and black pants, her messy hair tied up in a bun out of convenience. She wore no makeup, and was too lazy to change into her contact lenses, so she wore the large, heavy black-framed glasses she had in high school.
She hated crowds the most. Walking alone on a bustling street, she felt like ants were crawling all over her, as if everyone was staring at her.
“Oh my… why are there so many people?” An Zhi started to regret her decision. The few times she had come before, she had been with her roommates. This was her first time going out shopping alone. But… but that viral dessert shop was really good, especially the fruit egg tarts.
An Zhi had been craving the taste of the fruit egg tarts. She wanted to try other flavors this time. Compared to delicious food, social anxiety was nothing.
On the weekend, the commercial street was packed. An Zhi looked at the crowd at the entrance of the shop and felt her resolve waver.
An Zhi didn’t understand why there were so many people at the shop today. She squeezed into the crowd and vaguely heard someone speaking into a microphone, but the surrounding noise made it hard to hear.
She wanted to retreat, but she sniffed the air like a little dog and smelled the sweet, creamy aroma. Her already growling stomach was now even hungrier.
She didn’t have to have a fruit egg tart to fill her stomach, but for a foodie, there was nothing more painful than seeing delicious food right in front of you and not being able to eat it.
An Zhi, you’ve already lost so much in terms of being a normie. Now you’re going to give up on delicious food right in front of you? Are you going to abandon your principles too?
Fortune favors the bold, while the timid starve. I’ll go for it!
An Zhi gritted her teeth and plunged into the crowd. With her small size, she managed to squeeze her way through, and when she finally looked up, she saw a sliver of light between the people.
A happy smile spread across her face. She pushed forward with her short legs, but just as she was about to reach the light, a sudden push from behind sent her stumbling out of the crowd.
An Zhi stumbled forward a few steps, and when she finally regained her balance, she let out a sigh of relief. The voice from the microphone was now crystal clear.
“Our third prize is three 50% off coupons, second prize is… and first prize… our limited edition three-tiered Sweet Story fruit cake.”
Fruit? Fruit egg tart?
An Zhi perked up her ears and caught a few scattered words. She suddenly remembered why she had fought so hard to get here. She was here to buy a fruit egg tart! She had made it!
The girl puffed out her chest, her head held high. She wanted to shout for the cashier to give her a fruit egg tart, but a microphone was suddenly thrust in her face.
“Alright, let’s go with this very enthusiastic lucky audience member. She rushed out of the audience so eagerly. Although it’s a bit like cheating, since cuteness is justice, and it can also boost our show’s ratings, we’ll let it slide. So now our three groups of guests are all set.”
The diligent host chattered on, pulling An Zhi onto the stage.
“Huh? Where am I?”
An Zhi stood on the stage in a daze, looking at the dense crowd below and the countless unfamiliar faces, her mind blank.
“Hmm? This guest, where is your male partner?”
“What male partner? I’m here for a fruit egg tart.”
“A fruit egg tart? Haha, this guest is quite humorous. But don’t worry, if you win first prize, you can exchange it for desserts of equal value. So… where’s your boyfriend?”
The host grinned enthusiastically, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. The two of them, one big and one small, stared at each other. The stage suddenly became quiet.
An Zhi felt her brain shut down. She was always like this, getting flustered when too many things happened at once. She stood on the stage like a startled hamster, her arms crossed in front of her, unable to react.
Her single-track mind heard the host’s question and answered subconsciously, her voice soft and sweet, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I came alone.”
The audience was enthusiastic, everyone smiling happily. An Zhi felt that if she looked sad, it would ruin the atmosphere, so she forced a smile, which made her look extremely confident to others.
The host professionally picked up the conversation, even adding a little twist.
“Oh my, our guest is so brave. Not only does she want to participate in our event, but she also wants to find a boyfriend on the spot. Are there any male guests who would like to partner with this young lady?”
“I…”
“I’ll do it!!”
The crowd was mostly young people, not too concerned with appearances. A pretty girl was standing on stage, and the opportunity was fleeting. There was no reason to hesitate.
An Zhi stared blankly, her mind in a jumble, yet she was still thinking about unrelated things. She suddenly remembered the scene in a TV show where the female lead throws an embroidered ball to choose her husband. Although her reaction was slow, she vaguely understood what was happening.
A competition? A boyfriend? A fruit cake?
“Um, I have to go… sorry, I think I’m in the wrong place.”
An Zhi covered her flushed face, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into. As long as she could leave this place, it didn’t matter if she never got to eat a fruit egg tart again. She swore.
“Is our young lady going to choose a male guest herself? Let’s wait and see.”
The host didn’t hear An Zhi’s small, mosquito-like voice and, seeing her taking small steps towards the edge of the stage, immediately started to liven up the atmosphere.
“No, I…”
The shame was reaching its peak. An Zhi felt like she was about to get a fever. Her face was burning, the blush spreading to the tips of her ears. She was stuck, and the valve that held back her tears was starting to loosen. The area around her eyes was already turning red. When a clumsy girl encounters a problem, her first reaction is always to cry. In the past, when her parents and friends were around, crying would always solve the problem.
She didn’t want a partner, and she didn’t want to participate in any competition. She was just here for a fruit egg tart.
“Miss, our show is about to start. What are you going to do?”
An Zhi blinked her big eyes, forcing back the tears. If she cried in front of so many people, and it was posted online, she would really have to die of shame.
“My boyfriend will be here soon… no need to choose.”
“Soon?”
“Yeah, soon…” An Zhi sniffled and answered guiltily.
“Then you can rest backstage for a while. I’ll warm up the crowd, and the event will start soon.”
An Zhi nodded. She thought the host had finally said something reasonable. Her little heart was still pounding. She, An Zhi… not only didn’t have a boyfriend, but she hadn’t even had a chance to make many male friends. Why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut… she was so dead this time.
An Zhi walked off the stage with a sad face. Behind the partition, she saw two couples, cheering each other on. The scene was warm and sweet, and she… felt like an unwanted intruder.
She looked down at her phone. She had been added to the class group chat, but she barely knew any of the boys in her class. The list of new friends she had made in college was very short. No matter how she looked at it, there was only one suitable candidate.
I hope I’m not bothering him. If not… An Zhi glanced outside. She could always sneak away. But if she got caught, would she get beaten up? Her palms were sweaty with nervousness.
“Be your boyfriend?” the voice on the other end of the phone was surprised. The boy repeated her request.
“Mm-hmm, I need a boyfriend right now.” An Zhi nodded eagerly, completely unaware of the implications of her words. Her soft, sweet voice was captivating. “I… I’ll treat you to a fruit egg tart, okay?”
The boy was silent for a moment, then hung up. “Okay, send me the address. I’ll be right there.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll wait for you. Hurry up.”
An Zhi was overjoyed. She hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief.
Hehe, now she had a boyfriend too.
An Zhi seemed to have forgotten the embarrassment from before and smiled foolishly with red-rimmed eyes. But after a moment, the realization finally hit her. The sweet smile on her face instantly froze.
Did she just… ask him to be her boyfriend?
And he had agreed!
She had messed up again…
