Chapter 73 - 74: Paying the Bill

"Not at all." Zhang He leisurely swallowed the noodles in her mouth before replying. Yu Yue glanced again at the two people sitting opposite. Geez, he quickly rubbed the goosebumps that had popped up on his arms. These two aren’t even together yet, and the mere budding of feelings is already making people feel all mushy! He better hurry and eat, otherwise he’d be full on dog food instead. "By the way, Sis, don’t you think having noodles with side dishes is odd? Shouldn’t we be having some rice or something?" Yu Yue voiced his question. "Oh come on, aren’t these the signature beef noodles? It’s not too much to try the signature dish here, is it?" "But..." "Enough, enough, eat and stop talking so much." Stopping Yu Yue from saying more, Zhang He used the public chopsticks to give him a piece of spicy stir-fried beef, compliments of Uncle Zhang. Seeing the enticing beef already in his bowl, Yu Yue stopped talking and instead focused on waging "war" across the dishes. Ruan Xingwen also used the public chopsticks next to him to give Yu Xiaozhe a piece of beef, "Brother Ze, you try it too, Uncle Zhang’s cooking is excellent." Yu Xiaozhe said nothing, simply picking up the beef from the plate and popping it into his mouth. Ruan Xingwen didn’t eat, instead watching Yu Xiaozhe with anticipation. "It is indeed delicious. Xingxing, you should eat too. Weren’t you hungry earlier?" Returning the gesture, Yu Xiaozhe also gave Ruan Xingwen a piece of beef, signaling him to eat up. Nodding, Ruan Xingwen finally got to eat the breakfast he had been looking forward to all morning, satisfying his already growling stomach. Despite eating quickly, everyone maintained a calm demeanor, all adhering to the rule of not speaking while eating. For a moment, the only sounds on the second floor were the clinking of chopsticks and dishes, and the occasional shouts from downstairs and outside the restaurant. Finally, Yu Yue, full and satisfied, slumped back into his chair, constantly rubbing his belly. "Ah, I’m so stuffed." Ruan Xingwen looked at him, jokingly teasing, "Ah Yue, look at your belly, how many months along are you?" "Xingxing... you’re not much better, didn’t you eat just as much as I did... how many months along are you?" Ruan Xingwen didn’t expect to be countered, his ears instantly turning red. Touching his suddenly hot ears, Ruan Xingwen felt a bit annoyed. His ears were such a traitor! Everyone else blushes, but his ears turn red every time something happens! Having been subtly watching Ruan Xingwen since he put down his chopsticks, Yu Xiaozhe noticed his suddenly changing ears, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. He suddenly got curious, what exactly makes Xingxing’s ears turn red? Is it shyness? He wondered what it would feel like to touch those red ears... The two bickering childishly on the side didn’t notice how incomprehensible Yu Xiaozhe’s serious thoughts were at the moment. All this did not escape Zhang He, who had been silently observing. It seems this eternal bachelor finally has a crush, but she didn’t expect Yu Xiaozhe to act like this once smitten. Although Yu Xiaozhe’s expression remained unchanged, having known him for over twenty years, Zhang He could guess his thoughts from just a glance. Look at him now, looking "sleazy," it’s just unbearable to watch! Zhang He stood up, "Where’s the restroom? I need to touch up my makeup." Yu Yue paused his "war" with Ruan Xingwen, cheekily replying, "Sis, you don’t need to touch up your makeup." Zhang He thought: This kid finally acknowledges his sister’s beauty... Before she finished feeling smug, Yu Yue continued, "Because no one’s looking at you anyway." "Smack!" "Ow! Sis, why’d you hit me?!" Yu Yue cried out in pain. Shooting him a glare, Zhang He strutted downstairs in her high heels. Seeing Yu Yue wasn’t following, Zhang He called back, "Brat, aren’t you coming down to pay the bill?" "Huh? I just came to join the fun, why am I paying the bill!" Despite the reluctance, Yu Yue got up quickly, grabbing his coat, and followed Zhang He. Seeing the two going to settle the bill, Ruan Xingwen quickly said, "Sister He, Ah Yue, let me pay!" Zhang He waved her hand, "No worries, this kid’s got money! It’s our first time meeting, and it’s not an expensive meal. Sister’s treating you, but next time I won’t be polite!" "Come on, sis, you’re treating Xingxing, why am I paying? It’s not fair!" She raised her hand and smacked Yu Yue’s head again, "What’s with the chatter! You keep this up, and I’ll tell Ah Kai about your ’months-old’ belly!" Yu Yue stared in disbelief, "You woman..." "Quick, go downstairs and pay. We have lots to do later." Grudgingly, Yu Yue followed Zhang He downstairs. Watching the two leaving, Ruan Xingwen turned to Yu Xiaozhe, still seated at the table, and asked, "Brother Ze, so we...?" Yu Xiaozhe stood up, straightening his slightly wrinkled suit. Yes, Yu Xiaozhe ultimately chose to wear the suit he usually wears. Because what Zhang He said made sense, "If someone truly likes you, they’ll like you even more because you wear their preferred style, but they won’t like you any less if you wear something they don’t prefer." Having tidied up his outfit, Yu Xiaozhe said, "Let’s head down too." And with that, he led the way downstairs. Watching Yu Xiaozhe’s tall and straight back, Ruan Xingwen quietly marveled: Brother Ze has such a great physique, he looks so handsome in a suit! If only I didn’t have to lose weight for the camera, I wouldn’t worry about filling out a suit! Everyone’s destiny is different, why doesn’t Brother Ze need to lose weight?! Speaking of losing weight... today’s breakfast, once again, exceeded the calorie limit... No worries, as long as Little Yuan doesn’t know, it won’t count as exceeding! While Ruan Xingwen comforted himself, he followed Yu Xiaozhe downstairs. At this moment, Yu Yue was chatting with Uncle Zhang at the counter, whereas Zhang He was approaching the counter from another direction. Yu Xiaozhe glanced at the direction behind Zhang He, noting it was the restroom. So Sister He went to touch up her makeup after all. The three of them reached the counter, listening to Yu Yue exchanging pleasantries with Uncle Zhang. "How about it, Xiao Yue, are you full?" "More or less! Uncle, your noodles are still the best; I tried the noodle shop near the company, but it just can’t compare." Uncle Zhang was tickled by his words, laughing heartily. "Hahaha, you’re just good with words." Ruan Xingwen also stepped forward, asking, "Uncle Zhang, how much is it in total?" He still felt it wasn’t right to let Zhang He and her group pay the first time they met for a meal. Zhang He quickly stopped him, "Xingxing, do you look down on your sister? I already said I’m treating you, there’s no need to be so formal." "Sister He..." "Enough, since you called me sister, this meal has to be on me. Otherwise, it’s as if you’re looking down on me." Hearing this going serious, Ruan Xingwen didn’t want to argue over a meal with Zhang He, but he still said, "Fine, next time it’s my treat to Sister He, and you can’t refuse it." Zhang He finally smiled and ruffled Ruan Xingwen’s hair, "That’s the spirit!" Yu Yue: "..." You two with all the politeness... But wasn’t it him paying in the end?! Is there no justice?! Yu Yue wanted to complain to Yu Xiaozhe, but he found his brother wasn’t even paying attention to his poor self; his eyes were full of Xingxing! Yu Yue: "..." Woo woo woo, he was so pitiful!