Chapter 70 - 71: Breakfast

———grumble——— The eyes of the three people simultaneously converged on the source of the sound—Ruan Xingwen’s stomach. This time, it was Ruan Xingwen’s turn to feel shy. His face was flushed as he awkwardly said, "Well, I just came out... to have breakfast..." Yu Xiaozhe saw that Ruan Xingwen was embarrassed enough to want to crawl into a hole, and comforted him, "It’s okay, we haven’t eaten either, let’s eat together." After saying that, he shot a warning look at Zhang He, indicating for her not to bully Ruan Xingwen any further. Zhang He felt wronged. When did she ever bully Ruan Xingwen? Honestly, she really liked this little guy now! After rolling her eyes at Yu Xiaozhe, Zhang He also consoled, "Yeah, I’m hungry too, stayed up all night, just finished. Is there anything good to eat around here? I feel like I could eat two big bowls now!" As Zhang He spoke, she pulled Ruan Xingwen toward the exit of the neighborhood. As soon as they stepped outside, they smelled the delicious aroma of various foods. They exchanged a glance and instantly felt even hungrier. They quickened their pace, heading toward the breakfast shop. Watching their actions from behind, Yu Xiaozhe shook his head helplessly. All foodies. Yu Xiaozhe also picked up his pace and followed them since he was hungry after working all night. "Wow, this place is amazing! It smells so good!" Zhang He exclaimed while scanning the nearby shops with her eyes. "Grandpa Yu really knows how to choose a location; this is a treasure trove! It’s a foodie’s paradise!" Ruan Xingwen found Zhang He’s slightly exaggerated demeanor amusing. Sister He was entertaining, just like a child when she got excited about food. "Xingxing, weren’t you curious about the relationship between Old Yu and Xiao Yue? We can talk about it while we eat!" With those words, Zhang He headed toward a store selling spicy hot pot. Yu Xiaozhe stopped her, "Don’t eat something so spicy on an empty stomach in the morning; let’s go somewhere else. Xingxing, what do you want to eat?" He gave Ruan Xingwen the choice. Although Ruan Xingwen actually wanted to try the spicy hot pot, seeing the disapproving look on Yu Xiaozhe’s face, he had to let it go. He was a bit intimidated by Yu Xiaozhe’s stern expression. "I’m not picky, you two decide, and I’ll treat you!" At the end, Ruan Xingwen chuckled a bit, trying to cover up his earlier nervousness. Yu Xiaozhe began to seriously consider the surrounding shops, asking as he looked, "How about dumplings?" Ruan Xingwen visibly scrunched his eyebrows; he didn’t want that. Okay, let’s change that, "Fried buns?" This time Ruan Xingwen scrunched his nose; he had that yesterday. Alright, let’s continue changing, "Then how about beef noodles?" Ruan Xingwen, thinking he was being subtle, smiled briefly and quickly concealed his expression, nodding in agreement, "That works, with the weather so cool, it’s perfect for something warm." Little did he know that the two people beside him had already noticed his smile revealing his little tiger teeth. So cute. Yu Xiaozhe and Zhang He thought simultaneously. Seeing Ruan Xingwen already heading toward the shop while they lingered behind, puzzled, he called out, "Brother Ze? Sister He?" Zhang He snapped back to reality and quickly caught up with Ruan Xingwen, "Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll eat first, talk in the shop." Pushing Ruan Xingwen into the shop, he glanced back at Yu Xiaozhe, who was still standing in place and found that Yu Xiaozhe was also looking at him. "Brother Ze, come on in," he said, turning back to follow Zhang He inside the shop. Noticing the look exchanged between them, Zhang He gave Yu Xiaozhe a slightly disdainful glance with a clear message in her eyes: You old man, don’t dream of reaching the stars with bare hands! Yu Xiaozhe rolled his eyes in response and followed them into the beef noodle shop. The shop owner was a middle-aged man in his fifties. As soon as Ruan Xingwen entered, he entrusted his other customers to the waiter behind him and warmly greeted Ruan Xingwen. "Xiao Ruan, it’s been a while since you came to Uncle’s shop for noodles." "Hehe, Uncle Zhang, I just took some time off recently, so here I am. I also brought two new guests to help you with promotion." Uncle Zhang patted Ruan Xingwen’s shoulder and exclaimed, "Xiao Ruan, have you grown taller? You’re much taller than me now, time flies! I still remember when you used to come with your parents for noodles, just a little kid back then, now you’ve grown into a fine young man!" Hearing Uncle Zhang mention his parents, Ruan Xingwen felt a momentary pang of sadness but quickly recovered. Although he missed them too, it’s been over a decade since they passed, and he had gotten used to living alone. Ruan Xingwen nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I’ve grown, but Uncle Zhang, you’re still that handsome man!" "Hahaha, you sure know how to talk, such a promising kid! Unlike my son, lazing around, all day playing games, no proper job!" Mentioning his own son, Uncle Zhang got frustrated. Among neighbors, Old Ruan’s son had always been smart, and such a likable boy, even after his parents’ unexpected passing. Yet, Ruan never strayed and turned out successful. While his son, growing up, couldn’t even compare to Ruan Xingwen, turned out to be a disaster after all! Still, Xiao Ruan was likable! Looking at his friends, they’re all such handsome and beautiful people. Uncle Zhang mused to himself. Midway as Uncle Zhang was leading them to a window seat on the second floor, a server’s call came from downstairs, "Boss! Can you come over? We need you for something!" "Uncle, you go ahead, I know what’s on the menu. You mind your business, I’ve got this." He added softly, leaning into Uncle Zhang’s ear, "Just let the kitchen know to add extra beef for us later!" Chuckling, Uncle Zhang replied, "Hahaha, you rascal. Alright, you don’t need to say it, I got it, just like you, just meat with noodles!" "Nonsense! Stop making things up! They’ll get impatient waiting, hurry along!" Finally shooing the teasing Uncle Zhang away, Ruan Xingwen bashfully looked at the two already seated, "Uncle Zhang’s just kidding, I like noodles too!" After speaking, he regretfully scrunched his nose. Shoot, wasn’t that admitting to always wanting extra beef! Silly me! "Hahaha, Xingxing, you’re too cute!" Zhang He finally understood why Ruan Xingwen could stir such feelings in Yu Xiaozhe, the longtime bachelor at twenty-eight, who constantly had women drawn to him and was always the top unmatched bachelor. After all, who could refuse someone pleasant to look at, with a nice personality and such expressive charm? No one would refuse, nor would Yu Xiaozhe. After reflecting on this, Zhang He patted Yu Xiaozhe understandingly on his shoulder, "Xingxing is so cute, I get you now." Yu Xiaozhe responded with a look that said, "That’s the truth." Ruan Xingwen didn’t notice the eye contact between them as he tried hard to shake off his embarrassment, taking the menu handed to him by Uncle Zhang before he left and asked the two seating at the table: "Sister He, Mr. Yu, take a look at the menu, what would you like to eat?"