CH 68.3

Midnight Snack (3)

“Hey, are there no drinks to buy in the small stands here?” Huang Ya was slightly dazed. “Why are they running so far?”

Bai Jing looked at the two people’s distant figures, suddenly feeling a little suspicious.

The lights in the small street were dim and the two bosses’ figures were hidden in a cloud of barbecue smoke. They seemed… to be holding hands?

Huang Ya turned his head and stretched his neck. “What are you looking at?”

Bai Jing’s heart suddenly leaped, hurriedly turned his head and said, “Nothing. There’s a beautiful girl. She has gone!”

Huang Ya continued to ask without the slightest doubt. “Should we also go together to help them with the drinks?”

Bai Jing bit a roasted sausage, ambiguously saying, “Shut up. Eat your food and don’t meddle.”

***

It was after ten o’clock at night. The back streets of the school were bustling with small street vendors and the few Internet cafes down the road were lit up, just the right place for restless students to gather.

Ruan Qingmu’s heart was thumping in his chest.

When he was crossing the road, a small motorcycle suddenly rushed by. Qin Yuan grabbed his hand and brought him to his side.

The motorbike whistled past, raising a cloud of flying ash and the two people stayed close to each other, waiting for the motorbike to pass. Qin Yuan’s hand did not let go but seemed to grip him more tightly.

In front of them was a row of snack stalls, some with open carts, some with glass windows, all with electric wires and large light bulbs shining on the food, making the area look glistening and appealing.

Students walked past in groups of twos and threes. Two girls suddenly spotted the two of them and blushed with surprise while averting their eyes shyly.

Ruan Qingmu’s face suddenly burned furiously and he hurriedly struggled to break free from Qin Yuan’s grip.

He slowed his steps and stopped by the row of street-facing small food stalls one by one, dilly-dallying while looking around.

“Want to eat again?” Qin Yuan asked from behind. His voice was especially gentle in the smoky air.

Ruan Qingmu vaguely let out an “mm.” “One roasted bean curd.”

His dark eyes turned and pointed at the iron stall next door. “One roasted squid too.”

Qin Yuan paid for them while silently following behind him.

Ruan Qingmu turned to look at him with his mouth bulging as he chewed and smilingly raised the squid skewer. “It’s delicious. Don’t you want one too?”

Qin Yuan stared at his mouth moistened with a little oil. “Is it really delicious?”

Ruan Qingmu had a smile on his face and his gaze bright. “It’s true, ah. You can buy one if you don’t believe…”

Before he finished speaking, Qin Yuan suddenly lowered his head and ate his leftover squid, biting off a piece.

Ruan Qingmu: “…”

Qin Yuan’s lips were thin and the lines were sharp. When he leaned down and lowered his head to eat what was in Ruan Qingmu’s hand, his handsome face was very close, making his sword brows and starry eyes look even more like a painting.

Ruan Qingmu blankly looked at him. For a moment, his heart started to jump fiercely again. Did this count as an indirect that?!

Not daring to look anymore, he quickly stuffed the roasted squid into Qin Yuan’s hand. “Here, you can have it!”

Qin Yuan seemed to laugh lightly by his side.

The two stood at the roadside when Qin Yuan’s phone suddenly rang as a boy from Class 1 called him. “Class monitor, where are you guys? You and Ruan Qingmu must have your hands full. We’ll come to help you guys out!”

Qin Yuan indifferently said, “Please help everyone to buy them. I’ll pay you back later.”

“Ohh, okay! When will you guys return then?”

Qin Yuan glanced at Ruan Qingmu and calmly said, “You guys can leave first after you finish eating. I got separated from Class 9’s sports representative. I am looking for him now.”

… Ruan Qingmu listened to his nonsense before his eyes suddenly brightened, running over to the other side.

By the side of the road, an older man was tidying up his haystack. As the market was closing, there were not many things left on the shelves, except for three or four leftover tanghulus that had been stuck in, which were beautifully red.

Ruan Qingmu ran to the old man and pointed. “I want them all. Please pack them for me.”

As he took out his phone to pay, Qin Yuan reached from behind to block him. “I’ll do it.”

The older man happily packed the remaining four tanghulus and handed them to him. “Sixteen yuan. I’ll charge you fifteen!”

Ruan Qingmu smiled and didn’t insist, paying the money and picking the biggest one to give to Qin Yuan.

“Go ahead and eat it. I’m treating you.”

Qin Yuan looked at him. “Didn’t we agree that I’ll treat you guys tonight?”

This time, Ruan Qingmu didn’t agree with him and stubbornly shook his head. “No, I’ll pay for this one.”

In his previous life, he leaped on his horse and said with a smile before they parted for the last time, “Qin-shaoxia, let’s meet again when the spring blossom next time. I will treat you to eat Qinyun House’s tanghulu.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t fulfill that appointment. It was only today that this small promise was fulfilled.

His expression was relaxed, but there was a trace of sadness in his eyes. Qin Yuan looked at him, accepted the tanghulu, and silently took a bite.

“Is it delicious?” Ruan Qingmu’s dark eyes looked at him.

Qin Yuan nodded, voice especially soft. “Mm.”

After a moment, he said again, “I never had any sweets before.”

Ruan Qingmu softly answered, “I know.”

“Do you also know?”

Ruan Qingmu didn’t respond, feeling sour and sore in his heart.

In his previous life, Qin Yuan’s family had been so strict in their upbringing that he rarely even ate a pastry or snack. In this life, he didn’t have a mum anymore and his dad was never around. Ruan Qingmu tried to make up for what Qin Yuan missed out on all this time.

Obviously, Qin Yuan looked cold and formidable on the surface, but the way he ate the tanghulu also looked like that of a lonely child.

“Qin Yuan… I’ll give all these to you.” He handed all the few tanghulus to the opposite boy, voice slightly unclear. “In the future, all your tanghulus will be on me.”