Chapter 72 - 73: Eating

Yu Yue naturally sat next to Zhang He, while the only seat left at the table was next to Yu Xiaozhe. Ruan Xingwen had no choice but to suppress his inexplicable nervousness and sat down, pretending to be calm. Zhang He saw the arrangement and felt a bit helpless; it seemed fate favored Yu Xiaozhe. Initially, Yu Xiaozhe felt a bit annoyed at Yu Yue’s arrival. After all, if it were only him and Zhang He, being the one Ruan Xingwen knew better, Xingxing would trust him more. But Yu Yue’s appearance broke this "balance," as Yu Yue was clearly closer to Ruan Xingwen. Not noticing the expressions of Zhang He and Yu Xiaozhe, Yu Yue switched his conversation partner this time—to Ruan Xingwen. "Xingxing, I originally wanted to surprise you. Who would have thought when I went to see Grandpa, he’d ask why I didn’t come with my brother? I didn’t know he came here so early. So, I hurried to your place, thinking he was there!" "Ahem." Just as Ruan Xingwen was about to drink water, he almost spit out the tea he had just taken upon hearing that. At this time, a slender, cleanly jointed hand passed him a clean handkerchief. While Ruan Xingwen and Yu Yue were talking, Yu Xiaozhe had been paying close attention to him. Brother Ze has really beautiful hands... Wait! What is he thinking! Ruan Xingwen now wished he could smack himself; he was staring at Yu Xiaozhe’s hand, dumbfounded! It’s just a bit nice-looking! His own hands are very nice-looking too! All three at the table turned their gaze to Ruan Xingwen, as he was still staring at Yu Xiaozhe’s hand without making any moves. Yu Xiaozhe had no choice but to push the handkerchief forward a bit. The gesture snapped Ruan Xingwen out of his daze, and he quickly grabbed the handkerchief, accidentally touching Yu Xiaozhe’s hand in the process. Yu Xiaozhe’s hand retracted slightly, then he casually withdrew it. Just under the table where no one could see, he lightly pinched his fingertip. The temperature from Xingxing’s fingers was cool. So, our Mr. Yu quietly poured another cup of hot water for Ruan Xingwen and placed it at his hand. Ruan Xingwen took the handkerchief and wiped his mouth in an attempt to cover up, "Brother Ze, um, I’ll wash the handkerchief and return it to you later." "Okay." Zhang He and Yu Yue watched Yu Xiaozhe, who clearly looked happy but still pretended to be aloof, wanting to warn Ruan Xingwen not to be fooled by this cunning old fox! "Oh, right! Ah Yue, I’ve been curious about something and wanted to ask you." Ruan Xingwen suddenly remembered his doubt and started. Yu Yue nodded, "What is it?" "You’re cousins with Brother Ze, right? Your mom is Brother Ze’s aunt, so why is your grandpa the same person as his?" Yu Yue thought it was something serious, but it was just this, "Oh, my dad is sort of an in-law to the Yu Family. I can’t explain much about their generation’s affairs." Upon hearing that Yu Yue was reluctant to explain, Ruan Xingwen didn’t press further as he wasn’t interested in other people’s privacy. "Oh, got it!" As they spoke, a waiter approached with a tray. It was still early and hardly anyone visited for home-cooked meals. Most just ordered a bowl of noodles on the first floor, then went to work or school after eating. So, they were the only table of guests on the second floor. "Brother Ruan, your meal is ready." The waiter greeted Ruan Xingwen with a smile and deftly placed four bowls of beef noodles on the table. The steaming beef noodles exuded a rich beef broth aroma, accompanied by the taste of cilantro and scallions, even making Yu Xiaozhe, who wasn’t very hungry, suddenly feel hungry upon smelling it. "Wow, smells delicious!" "Sluuurp." Some Yue suddenly made a strange noise. Everyone, including the waiter, turned their eyes to Yu Yue. Yu Yue sheepishly scratched his head, "Hehe, I didn’t eat breakfast this morning." "But these noodles do smell great!" Just as he was about to dig in, Ruan Xingwen stopped him. "Wait a bit longer, the noodles are served, the dishes must be ready too." Indeed. As soon as Ruan Xingwen finished speaking, Uncle Zhang came over with a large tray, serving them their dishes. Ruan Xingwen and Yu Yue quickly stood up to help. "No need, no need, Xiao Ruan, Xiao Yue, you two sit tight, I can handle it." Yu Yue was quite familiar with Uncle Zhang. Ever since Mr. Yu moved to this neighborhood, Yu Yue had been a regular, familiar with all the shops. Yu Yue was most familiar with Uncle Zhang because he loved to eat beef noodles... "Uncle, did you add extra beef for me today? And chilies!" Yu Yue asked in a familiar tone. Uncle Zhang laughed twice, wanting to pat Yu Yue’s shoulder but pulled back considering the oil on his hand. "I know you love meat and spicy food, added more! I increased the dish size for five people for you guys from the original three, feel free to eat!" "Seriously, Uncle, am I really seen as this gluttonous in your eyes..." "Hahaha, being able to eat is a blessing, a good thing! A good thing indeed!" Zhang He was also smiling mischievously on the side, "Exactly, Xiao Yue, being able to eat is a blessing. Ah Kai doesn’t mind you, does he?" At the end, a striking beauty surprisingly made a funny face, making her expression rather sly. "...Sis!" Watching the two starting to bicker at the table, Uncle Zhang quickly interrupted, "Alright, alright, let’s eat, or it’ll get cold. Just joking, Xiao Yue doesn’t eat much!" "Uncle, don’t listen to him babbling, he’s just acting cute with you." Zhang He spared a moment to explain to Uncle Zhang. Uncle Zhang shook his head with a laugh, "Getting older, I can hardly understand you youngsters anymore, hurry up and eat, you probably haven’t had breakfast coming at this hour." Saying that he prepared to head downstairs to continue his work. Ruan Xingwen got up and escorted Uncle Zhang to the staircase, where Uncle Zhang turned back, loudly reminding him, "Eat up, if there’s not enough, just tell Uncle, I’ll have the chef make more for you guys!" Yu Yue responded immediately, "Don’t worry, Uncle, I won’t be polite with you." Everyone present chuckled, and Yu Yue felt strange, "What, I’m just being honest!" "Yes, yes, if it’s not enough, we’ll just order more from Uncle Zhang." After sending Uncle Zhang downstairs, Ruan Xingwen returned to his seat and quickly comforted him; otherwise, they’d wait a while before eating! Zhang He also said, "Alright, let’s eat, before we starve." Yu Xiaozhe, like someone apart from the others, watched them converse. He quietly sorted the utensils, placing them before everyone. "Let’s eat." "Thanks, bro!" "Thanks, Old Yu!" Two voices sounded simultaneously, the two glanced at each other, then turned away, picking up their chopsticks to dig in. Clearly, the two were accustomed to the subtle care from Yu Xiaozhe. But this was Ruan Xingwen’s second time eating with Yu Xiaozhe, and the last dinner was an accident. Being cared for by Yu Xiaozhe the first time, Ruan Xingwen was still a little shy, secretly joyful in his heart. His ears turned rosy red again, Ruan Xingwen pretended to be calm as he spoke, "Thanks, Brother Ze." Yet, his smile after speaking betrayed his feelings. Seeing Ruan Xingwen’s red ears and cute little canine teeth, Yu Xiaozhe suddenly felt parched, disguisedly picking up a cup and sipping water. "No problem, let’s eat noodles now." "Alright, Brother Ze, you should eat too!" Across the table, watching them being all sticky-sweet, some couldn’t bear to look. Yu Yue stealthily asked Zhang He, "Sis, are Ah Kai and I like this too?"