“You’re in such a hurry to explain what?” Yue Yiyue glanced at Gu Nanqiu with some confusion and reached out a hand to her. “Nanqiu, never mind that person. The top priority is for you to pull me up first—my legs are numb from squatting!”
“Okay!” Gu Nanqiu stifled a laugh as she pulled Yue Yiyue up and eagerly offered, “Yiyue, are your legs okay? Want me to rub them for you? Of course, I’d also be very willing if you let me carry you~”
Yue Yiyue borrowed Gu Nanqiu’s strength and stood up shakily. “Thanks—hey! I wasn’t done yet—”
The sudden lift into the air made Yue Yiyue instinctively grab Gu Nanqiu’s collar. She wanted to struggle but had to give up because her legs were numb.
Gu Nanqiu handed Yue Yiyue the bag of fruit, then hefted her in her arms. “Yiyue, you’ve gained some weight since before.”
After saying that, she leaned her face over like she was asking for a reward. “Come on, praise me. Haven’t I taken good care of you?”
“Of course, that doesn’t mean you haven’t taken good care of yourself. Anyway, you owe me a kiss.”
“At the police station entrance! On the street!” Yue Yiyue saw passersby occasionally looking over curiously. Blushing, she buried her face in Gu Nanqiu’s neck and shoulder.
“Fine, then we’ll kiss when we get back. You can kiss however you want then.” Gu Nanqiu looked at the person in her arms whose ears were bright red. Her lips curved up slightly, and a smile spread across her face like the warm spring breeze of early March.
“Ow!”
A cry of pain came from nearby, as if someone had tripped over something. Yue Yiyue curiously poked her head out and saw a passerby clumsily crashing into a utility pole.
It looked like he had been so entranced by Gu Nanqiu that he accidentally hit the pole.
She looked up at Gu Nanqiu’s face, bathed in spring warmth.
It was still the familiar face.
But Yue Yiyue always felt that the more she looked, the more it resembled Ye Qiu’s.
“Is there something wrong with my face?” Gu Nanqiu lowered her gaze, her eyes inexplicably misty and dewy.
From Yue Yiyue’s angle, Gu Nanqiu’s face looked bright, vibrant, and magnificent—like a blooming peony.
When Gu Nanqiu lowered her gaze, her brows and eyes held a touch of divine compassion for the world. Being watched by those eyes always made Yue Yiyue feel at peace.
At the same time, Yue Yiyue had a strange feeling. She thought that when they got back, she should bite Gu Nanqiu.
At least to get back the bite from last time.
Realizing too late that she had stared too long, Yue Yiyue uncomfortably shifted her gaze away. She lay on Gu Nanqiu’s shoulder, looking at the fallen leaves on the ground, and said softly, “Nothing. I just think you’re as good-looking as Ye Qiu.”
“Really?” The smile on Gu Nanqiu’s face grew even brighter. “Mm, thanks.”
————
The two found a barbecue shop nearby on Snack Street.
From the moment Gu Nanqiu entered the store, the Boss’s gaze stayed fixed on her. It wasn’t until Gu Nanqiu reminded her again—ten skewers of squid, twenty skewers of grilled meat, forty skewers of beef, three skewers of cabbage, and a portion of stir-fried noodles, all medium spicy—that the Boss snapped out of it.
She grabbed a handful of beef skewers without counting and handed them to a nearby staff member. “Hurry, go grill them.”
Then she hurriedly swapped out a brand-new tablecloth and wiped the chairs again.
After that, she stood nearby, glancing at Gu Nanqiu from time to time, afraid that if she was too far away, she wouldn’t be able to attend to her properly.
However, after Gu Nanqiu came in, the store’s customer traffic suddenly surged.
It quickly reached full capacity.
The Boss had no choice but to tend to other things.
The shop was extremely noisy.
Every now and then, nearby voices pushed the task back and forth: “You go.”
“But she looks so aloof.”
“Should we settle for the one across from her instead?”
“That one looks even fiercer…”
Yue Yiyue, sitting at her seat waiting for the barbecue, stared at the beer in the fridge. She was a bit curious about its taste.
But she felt it probably wasn’t as good as plain water.
“Yiyue, skip that stuff. If you want some later, I can buy red wine at home, or something with lower alcohol content. Of course, if you need it, I can mix cocktails for you too.”
“No need.”
During their idle chat, the staff brought over a full plate, which even included chicken wings.
Yue Yiyue poked around. “Did you order this many skewers earlier?”
Gu Nanqiu tilted her head. “Whenever have I ordered food and the vendor didn’t throw in some extras?”
That was true.
But this time, there were a lot of extras.
“We’ll tip more when we settle the bill.” Yue Yiyue took out the chicken wings, deftly deboned them, portioned the meat nicely onto a plate, and handed it over. “There’s some we won’t finish. What to do?”
At that moment, Gu Nanqiu had just finished picking the bones out of the small yellow croaker. She diligently offered the carefully plated food to Yue Yiyue. “I packed a small portion of the stir-fried noodles for you. Take it home? Later, we can buy two cups of milk tea, watch a movie, and I’ll eat slowly.”
“This place has good flavors, I know, but it’s not usually packed like this at this hour.” A boisterous guy at the door complained.
“Boss, you really should…”
“Hey, isn’t that our department flower?” A guy walked in from the door. He had just been grumbling with a sour face, but the next second, upon seeing Gu Nanqiu, his eyes lit up. “Boss, I know those people at that table. We’ll share with her.”
“He Wu, have you asked Nanqiu’s opinion?” Another scolding female voice followed closely.
“Nanqiu, sorry about this. There are no other seats. We’re just here to gather. Mind if we share the table?”
Gu Nanqiu didn’t answer immediately. She looked at Yue Yiyue across from her seat. “These are classmates from my class, Wu Zhen. Yiyue, do you mind sharing the table?”
Yue Yiyue looked at the food on the table, clearly more than enough for two people. She stood up and sat next to Gu Nanqiu. “Sure, you guys can help us finish some too.”
Wu Zhen saw this and shouted outside. Another slightly shorter girl came in. “I’m Xie Ying. Hey, Gu Nanqiu, didn’t expect to see you here today. What a coincidence. Who’s the one next to you?”
“Yue Yiyue from the Chinese Department.”
The few exchanged simple greetings and went through the motions.
Wu Zhen dragged over a square table and three more stools.
Now the table was complete.
Wu Zhen wiped the menu clean and asked Gu Nanqiu if she needed to add anything else. She was treating.
Gu Nanqiu looked at Yue Yiyue and shook her head, declining the menu. “No, no need. Finishing these is enough.”
Wu Zhen could only sit back with an awkward smile and pick up a skewer in front of Gu Nanqiu. “I’m a bit hungry. Mind if I have some of yours to tide me over, Nanqiu?”
After getting permission, she picked out some for He Wu and Xie Ying, and poured water into everyone’s cups.
She went out midway and bought a cup of fresh-squeezed Watermelon Juice for Gu Nanqiu.
At the table, they chatted about homework, how there would be two more classes after the holiday, complained about a certain strict teacher, and He Wu occasionally steered the topic toward Wu Zhen.
He said Wu Zhen was pretty nice, had taken care of him since they were kids, and was thoughtful.
Gu Nanqiu ate neatly, ignoring them. Instead, she occasionally leaned over to chat with Yiyue. “Yeah, I’ll have less time to accompany you next week. Just order takeout at home and wait for me then.”
“That teacher’s lectures are actually pretty interesting. If you’re curious, come with me next time.”
“Just keep me company. Please~”
He Wu watched this Gu Nanqiu.
Then glanced at Wu Zhen, whose expression wasn’t great.
What was the deal with this friend Gu Nanqiu kept mentioning and seemed so close to?
They seemed to have a deep relationship.
But that friend gave off real straight-girl vibes and seemed pretty into it. Maybe his cousin could help persuade her later, letting him have some fun with her.
With some ideas of benefiting himself, He Wu spoke even more enthusiastically.
Near the end of the meal, Gu Nanqiu stood up with her phone, saying she needed to take a call outside.
Yue Yiyue shifted her position. “Bring me a Watermelon Juice in.”
“I have one. Just drink mine.” Gu Nanqiu shot back as she walked out.
After those words, the atmosphere at the table fell silent.
“You’re Yue Yiyue, right? I hear Gu Nanqiu mention you often.” The most talkative He Wu handed Yue Yiyue some Leeks. “I saw you eyeing these earlier. Fresh ones, still hot.”
“Thanks.” Surrounded by strangers, Yue Yiyue’s social anxiety kicked in. She politely took it and set it aside, lowering her head to keep eating.
“So, mind if I ask what your relationship with Gu Nanqiu is?” He Wu had an appraising look, and his words weren’t exactly polite.
“We’re just a bit curious about Gu Nanqiu’s relationship status.”
“Wu Zhen wants to pursue Gu Nanqiu. As her good bestie, you should give us some tips, like what Gu Nanqiu likes to eat, places she likes to hang out.”
“Of course, once our Wu Boss succeeds, she’ll definitely buy you good food and drinks too. After all, you’re her future girlfriend’s bestie.”
The words were greasy and carried an indescribable off-putting flavor.
Yue Yiyue looked up at He Wu, just in time to see Wu Zhen angrily scold him to shut up.
……
Though Yue Yiyue had never pursued anyone, every book she’d seen indicated that trying to build rapport with the target’s friends to chase them was an unwise move.
Unless the friend’s the one who brings it up first.
But meddling in relationships generally didn’t end well.
Suddenly, the Leeks on her plate tasted flavorless.
She set her chopsticks aside.
He Wu saw Yue Yiyue’s face fall. He frowned. What did this Yue Yiyue mean, pulling a face for whom?
Did she think these perks weren’t enough? He was about to speak up but got scolded into silence by Wu Zhen again.
Afterward, Wu Zhen looked apologetically at Yue Yiyue. “He’s my cousin, young and immature. Sorry about that. Liking Nanqiu is my business. I won’t put you in a tough spot. Sorry.”
……
Yue Yiyue looked up again, seriously eyeing Wu Zhen, then the Watermelon Juice nearby.
“It’s fine. As her friend, I’m not at liberty to share Nanqiu’s affairs anyway. Alright, we’re done eating. Let’s go.”
With that, Yue Yiyue grabbed the fruit bag nearby and stood. “Boss, check please. Separate bills.”
After walking out, she happened to see Gu Nanqiu outside on the phone. Yue Yiyue tossed her a candy to freshen her mouth.
Gu Nanqiu caught it and hung up, curiously looking at how quickly Yue Yiyue had come out. “What? Not eating anymore?”
“Too off-putting. That He Wu, and don’t want that Watermelon Juice anymore. That Wu Zhen too—she’s off. Stay away from her.” Yue Yiyue tsked. “Won’t dirty your ears with the details. Be honest, do they hang around you in class sometimes and bother you?”
Gu Nanqiu glanced inside, just in time to see Wu Zhen chasing out. She eyed the person. “Nah, first time talking today. I only remembered her name from the self-intros.”
She put her arm around Yue Yiyue. “Then let’s go to that one you like most. You’re probably only half full. Buy some snacks to go with these fruits, and watch a movie together?”
“Sure.”
The two walked along, picking snacks along the way, calling it stocking up on supplies.
Finally, Gu Nanqiu carried a big bag of snacks and yogurt, while Yue Yiyue hugged milk tea and fruit as they headed home.
They both tacitly avoided the Cake Shop.
She had no desire to eat that for a while.
————
At the door when they got home, as Yue Yiyue was about to open it, she noticed an extra delivery box at the entrance. A transparent container sat on the box, holding an exquisite cake with a pink heart and big “LOVE.”
In bold red letters, it said: “For Gu Nanqiu.”
Gu Nanqiu’s first reaction was to kick it far away.
The two exchanged a look.
“That Waitress is nuts. She must be the mastermind.” Yue Yiyue eyed the kicked box at the other end of the corridor, wary that strange red liquid might ooze out. She quickly opened the door and ushered Gu Nanqiu inside.
Their home was absolutely safe.
“I’ll have Property Management check the surveillance later and submit it as evidence to the police.”
“The stuff inside… really, insane!”
Remembering what the police had unpacked from it that afternoon, Gu Nanqiu felt nauseous.
“Yiyue, if you knew that box contained a disgusting love letter and a heart, you’d think I was pitiful too for being targeted by a pervert.”
