Zhao Qingyu’s guess was half correct.
Why only half? Because the place Shen An took her to was indeed extremely close to the Azure Sea Grand Hotel—just across one street, only a few steps away.
But the other half?
Shen An stopped her right in front of the Azure Sea Grand Hotel, showing no intention of crossing over.
And this place was a roadside food stall, a humble street stall.
Zhao Qingyu watched as Shen An casually picked a seat and sat down, patting the bench beside him. “Right here, Senior Sister Zhao.”
Even with her exceptionally resilient will and all her prior guesses, she couldn’t help but freeze in place.
She was dressed in elegant designer clothes, paired with black stockings and red-soled high heels—the picture-perfect image of a wealthy heiress—standing there in front of the food stall. One glance over her shoulder, and the Azure Sea Grand Hotel loomed right in front of her.
This…
The patrons inside the stall shot her curious glances.
There was nothing wrong with food stalls per se; plenty of rich people ate there too.
It was just that Zhao Qingyu’s outfit clashed so completely with the vibe—like showing up to a funeral in a bright red party dress. She was eye-catching, attention-grabbing, utterly out of place.
And she hadn’t prepared at all for eating somewhere like this.
“Cough, ptui~”
The restaurant boss ambled over, beer belly leading the way, after casually hocking a wad of old phlegm onto the street. He clutched a menu.
“Young fella, what’ll it be?”
Zhao Qingyu’s delicate face gradually stiffened. An urge to bolt from the scene welled up inside her.
“Oh? Her too? Young fella, is this your girlfriend?” The boss noticed Zhao Qingyu standing there in a daze and couldn’t resist asking.
“No, no—this is my friend.”
Shen An chuckled lightly. “Senior Sister? What do you feel like eating?”
Zhao Qingyu snapped back to reality. The shock was hitting her hard; she needed a moment to recover. “You… you just order for us.”
“Sit down first.”
He stood, placing a gentle hand on her back to guide her to the seat.
Zhao Qingyu wanted to pull out a tissue to wipe everything down first, but under the boss’s friendly gaze, she swallowed the impulse. She smoothed her skirt and eased herself down onto the bench.
“Alright, let me see what signature dishes you’ve got.”
Shen An fell into easy conversation with the stall’s boss.
“Whoa, we’ve got a ton of specialties: stir-fried beef with green onions, braised beef brisket, grilled beef intestines, grilled sirloin—you name it, we’ve got it.”
“Why’s everything beef? You got any bull penis?”
“Hey now, young fella—you came to the right spot. Our special bull penis soup’ll have you roaring to go.”
The boss winked, shooting him an ambiguous look.
Shen An caught the drift and let out a knowing grin.
Zhao Qingyu had gone numb, barely registering their banter.
She still couldn’t resist twisting around for another look at the Azure Sea Grand Hotel, so tantalizingly close…
Once Shen An finished ordering, the boss wandered off with the menu, looking pleased. But Zhao Qingyu hadn’t quite pulled herself together yet.
“Senior Sister? Senior Sister?”
Shen An waved a hand in front of her face.
Zhao Qingyu turned back woodenly and drew in a deep breath. “This… this is the place you had in mind?”
“Yep.”
Shen An peeled open the plastic wrap on the tea cups and utensils, then grabbed the hot tea from nearby to scald them first.
“It might look rough around the edges, but the best food’s always hiding in spots like this—the ones nobody notices.”
“I’ve been dying to try it, and today I finally had the excuse. So I brought you along, Senior Sister!”
“Try it?” Zhao Qingyu said, at a loss for words. “You haven’t even eaten here yourself?”
“Er… well, just never found the time before.”
“Fine.” Zhao Qingyu held up a small hand to shush him. “We’ll pay up now, and head across the street. My treat.”
She jabbed a finger toward the Azure Sea Grand Hotel opposite them.
Shen An arched a brow. “Can’t afford a place like that.”
“I’ll pay!”
Zhao Qingyu stressed again.
“That doesn’t sit right. I owe you one, Senior Sister—it should be on me.”
Shen An gave her a sheepish grin. “Look, I get it—you’ve probably never set foot in a place like this. But hey, first time for everything. Give it a shot, for real.”
“Trust me, it’s gonna be amazing.”
His gaze was so earnest, laced with a hint of pleading, that Zhao Qingyu felt her heart clench. Helplessness crept over her.
“Fine.”
She inhaled deeply once more. “Just eat fast, okay? Let’s wrap this up quick.”
“Uh, I eat pretty quick anyway, Senior Sister. No worries.”
Shen An nodded. “Speaking of, you got somewhere to be this afternoon? You’re acting like we’re on a deadline.”
“I’m not rushed.”
Zhao Qingyu’s tone turned icy. “I just never imagined you’d drag me to a dump like this for a meal.”
A flicker of undisguised distaste crossed her face. “If I’d known, no way I’d have come out with you.”
“Uh…”
Shen An looked awkward, flustered. “Sorry, Senior Sister.”
“It’s fine.” Zhao Qingyu gritted her teeth against the surrounding din and the fumes wafting from passing cars. “Your taste really is… one of a kind.”
“Nah, not really.”
Shen An kept his head down, meticulously rinsing the cups and bowls. “Just a matter of personal preference.”
“I know a place like this isn’t your scene, Senior Sister. But to me? This is heaven on a plate.”
He set the clean cups and bowls in front of Zhao Qingyu, his smile turning bittersweet.
An odd pang of shame and discomfort twisted in Zhao Qingyu’s chest.
To her, this was a grimy spot she’d never spare a second glance.
To him, it was the pinnacle of deliciousness.
He’d brought her here to share what he considered the absolute best.
Zhao Qingyu’s eyes darted away from his as she murmured, “Okay, okay—it’s not that I look down on it. I’m just worried about the hygiene.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Shen An’s eyes narrowed slightly to himself. Zhao Qingyu didn’t seem quite as domineering and capricious as usual.
That hesitant answer made her come off more tough on the outside, soft within.
Real domineering types were selfish to the core, with barely any empathy for others.
Yet here she was, showing a glimmer of guilt.
“Yeah, give it a taste later, Senior Sister—you’ll see.” Shen An chuckled.
“Hoo~”
His casual planning threw Zhao Qingyu’s thoughts into disarray.
She crossed her legs and fished a pack of ladies’ cigarettes from her little handbag.
Click.
Flame danced as she lit one up. The fragrant smoke curled down her throat, steadying her nerves at last.
She glanced over and caught Shen An’s look of surprise. With a light laugh, she said, “What, never seen a girl smoke?”
Shen An blinked, shaking his head. “Just didn’t peg you for a smoker, Senior Sister.”
“Ha~” Zhao Qingyu exhaled another smoke ring. “What, you think it’s awful—a girl picking up a nasty habit like this?”
“No.” Shen An’s voice softened. “Smoking’s just a personal choice.”
“Long as it doesn’t bother anyone else, nobody’s got the right to judge.”
“And here, the only one’s bothered is me.”
“Not judging you, Senior Sister—just a bit surprised.”
“Oh, and—mind if I bum one?”
Shen An rubbed his hands together, eyes lighting up expectantly.
Zhao Qingyu lifted a brow. “You?”
“Yep, me.”
“You smoke too?” Surprise flickered in Zhao Qingyu’s eyes.
“Kinda.” Shen An spoke softly. “Not a pack-a-day guy or anything—just now and then.”
“You get it, right? Sometimes the stress piles up, and that first drag, the smoke filling your throat… it takes the edge off.”
“Smoke doesn’t dull your senses like booze, though. For real decompression, alcohol’s probably better.”
Zhao Qingyu nodded. For once, she and Shen An had something in common.
She didn’t love smoking; it simply gave her a moment’s release.
Be it shaking off stress or holding onto her cool.
That was all it was for her.
Zhao Qingyu slid the cigarette pack across to Shen An.
He plucked out a slim ladies’ cigarette with deliberate calm, toyed with the lighter between his fingers, then—click. Flame bloomed.
He drew deeply, exhaling a perfect smoke ring.
The whole motion flowed seamlessly, leaving Zhao Qingyu staring.
Truth be told, Shen An had clocked it the moment Zhao Qingyu pulled out the pack.
Her technique wasn’t smooth; it’d taken her two flicks to light up.
She was new to it, or at least didn’t do it often.
For her, cigarettes were purely a quick fix for stress—a prop for composure, nothing more.
“Looks like you’ve been under a lot of pressure lately.”
Zhao Qingyu skipped asking how he smoked like a pro and steered the conversation elsewhere.
“No big pressure—just tired.”
Shen An said quietly.
“Tsk, holding a grudge against me?” Zhao Qingyu teased with a sly smile.
“Oh?” Shen An shook his head. “Why would you say that, Senior Sister?”
“Hard not to think so.”
Zhao Qingyu’s lips quirked up. “If I hadn’t dumped all that work on you, you wouldn’t be wiped out like this.”
“Do you feel like I’m just being a hands-off boss, dumping all the work on a newbie like you on purpose?”
Propping her chin on her hand, she continued, “I’m serious. There wasn’t even a single moment—not the slightest bit—of resentment.”
Meeting Zhao Qingyu’s scrutinizing and teasing gaze, Shen An shook his head earnestly. “No, not at all. Not even a tiny bit.”
“From the very start, Senior Sister, you said you thought highly of me.”
“I’m grateful for your high regard, so naturally, I’ve prepared myself mentally for what comes with it.”
“If it’s high regard, then the treatment should be different from everyone else’s.”
“So I think you’re deliberately giving me this opportunity to temper myself properly.”
“It’s busy and tiring, sure, but I’ve gained a lot from it. I’ve learned plenty—at the very least, when it comes to fitting into the group, I’ve succeeded more than any other newcomer.”
“Compared to what I’ve gotten out of it, what I’ve put in is nothing.”
“Just have a smoke, Senior Sister. You don’t need to overthink it.”
Zhao Qingyu always liked watching people’s eyes when they talked.
Because eyes don’t lie.
She didn’t entirely trust the words coming out of someone’s mouth—language was the most deceptive thing there was.
Only the emotions in their eyes, the spark, the gaze itself—they never lied.
While Shen An spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on his.
She saw no trace of falsehood or evasion. Everything was as sincere and earnest as his words.
Shock and guilt churned in her heart once more.
Usually, it was the other person who couldn’t meet her gaze.
This was already the second time Zhao Qingyu had been the one to look away from Shen An.
She felt guilty.
The tests, the high regard, the opportunities to grow—they were all bullshit.
From the beginning, she’d only ever seen Shen An as a tool. One to squeeze dry, to toy with.
But when her own veiled hypocrisy clashed with his utter sincerity, Zhao Qingyu realized with a jolt that hypocrites could never stand tall with righteous indignation.
This guy…
He was so… naive. And stupid!
Zhao Qingyu took another deep drag, filling her throat with smoke, but it did nothing to ease her inner turmoil.
She would have preferred if Shen An had played the same hypocritical game with her!
What she hated most were guys like this… brimming with pure-hearted sincerity.
But was he really that pure?
Stop putting on an act in front of me, you bastard.
Zhao Qingyu’s face hardened coldly as she pointed toward the Azure Sea Grand Hotel on the other side. “See that?”
“Uh… yeah. What’s up?”
“Any thoughts on it?”
“Thoughts? The hotel looks pretty luxurious… Staying a night there must cost a fortune, right?”
“I live right here.”
Zhao Qingyu said flatly.
Shen An’s eyes contracted sharply, surprise spilling from his slightly parted lips.
