"I'm not eating the food at Spring Breeze Tower to come out here in the cold and eat street food... I must have been out of my mind!" Su Ying shivered in the cold wind, holding two skewers, and complained as she ate.
"Miss Su?" Just as she was hesitating whether to take a taxi home or continue browsing, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.
Su Ying quickly hid the skewers behind her back. "Fu Zheng?"
"I didn't expect to run into you here." Fu Zheng seemed pleasantly surprised to see Su Ying. "Miss Su, are you out browsing the night market too?"
Su Ying was a little confused.
This was a night market?
She had asked Su Lin to drop her off anywhere earlier and hadn't paid attention to the specific location. Since she hadn't eaten enough for dinner, she followed the aroma when she saw food stalls.
Su Ying vaguely hummed in agreement. "You, live around here?"
Seeing the daily necessities he was carrying, Su Ying couldn't help but ask.
"Yes." Fu Zheng scratched his head. "Miss Su, are you alone?"
He had actually been observing for a while and, seeing no one else around her, had seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation.
"Yes, I'm just wandering around by myself." Su Ying silently prayed that he would leave quickly, otherwise her skewers would get cold.
"Miss Su hasn't finished dinner yet? I know a noodle shop nearby that's really good. Many people travel from afar to queue up for it. Would you like to try it?" He had already seen the hand she was hiding behind her back, but he chose not to expose it.
Su Ying raised an eyebrow.
What was so good about noodles that people would travel from afar to queue up for them?
Seeing her suspicious expression, Fu Zheng continued, "It's true! I went to university around here and came with friends to eat it. I highly recommend it!"
Seeing him speak with such conviction, Su Ying decided to trust him this once.
So, led by Fu Zheng, they walked through a narrow alley and arrived at the bottom of a residential building. Just as Fu Zheng had said, at this time of day, there was already a long queue at the entrance, with the faces of the eager customers filled with anticipation.
Su Ying: ...
There's a saying, isn't there? "Good wine needs no bush!"
For a shop to be in such a secluded place and still attract so many customers, it must be truly good.
"Miss Su, please have a seat." Fu Zheng knew her time was precious and didn't dare to keep her waiting. He wanted to ask the owner to accommodate her and make her portion first.
Su Ying glanced at the red plastic stool beside them and didn't dislike it. She simply wiped it with a tissue and sat down.
She didn't know what Fu Zheng said to the owner, but when he returned, he was carrying a bowl of steaming hot noodles. He remembered Su Ying's preferences, knowing she disliked cilantro and liked spicy food, so he specifically instructed the owner on what to include and exclude.
"You're so thoughtful, young man. Buying it for your girlfriend?" The owner, a middle-aged woman in her early forties, couldn't help but tease him when she saw him making every effort, even offering to stay and help with the dishes.
Fu Zheng's face turned red with embarrassment, and he stammered in denial, "No, no, it's not..."
"Oh, you're blushing!"
Fu Zheng couldn't handle the teasing and his face turned bright red.
Smelling the aroma from the takeout box, Su Ying suddenly felt that her skewers tasted rather ordinary. So, she decisively threw the unfinished skewers into the trash can and took the noodles Fu Zheng handed her.
"It smells so good!" Su Ying's mouth watered.
But she looked around and couldn't find any place to eat, which put her in a dilemma.
"Uh, I live in the building next door. If Miss Su doesn't mind, you can go there to sit and eat before leaving." Fu Zheng summoned his courage and invited her upstairs.
Looking at the red-eared boy in front of her, Su Ying took a while to react.
"Going to your place at this hour, will it disturb anyone?" Su Ying asked tentatively.
Fu Zheng quickly explained, "No. This is a place I rent, and I usually live here alone... there's no one else."
Su Ying looked at the building next door and thought: The rent in this area is not cheap! Would it be too extravagant for him, a recent graduate and a rookie in society, to rent a place here?
His monthly salary is only a little over ten thousand, and the rent is seven or eight thousand. Is the remaining money enough for food?
Su Ying thought this in her heart, but her body honestly followed him away.
Fu Zheng's room was very clean, just like him.
The room was neatly tidied, and the items were arranged in an orderly fashion, to the point where even someone with OCD would be impressed. The floor was so shiny that it reflected people's shadows.
Su Ying stood at the doorway, reluctant to step on it.
"Um, not many people come here, so there aren't any new slippers." Fu Zheng shyly took out a pair of men's slippers from the shoe cabinet.
Su Ying looked at them, which seemed as good as new. After a moment of hesitation, she freed her feet and put them on.
Just as she had guessed, the apartment was a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit, estimated to be over seventy square meters. There was an open-plan kitchen next to the living room. Unlike ordinary rental apartments, this place, though small, had everything one could need. Besides appliances, there were many colorful and beautiful flowers and plants on the balcony.
In the corner, there was even a treadmill. This showed that the owner of the room was a person with a lot of zest for life and lived a leisurely life.
Su Ying scanned the room and, holding her noodles, sat down on the sofa.
Hmm, the noodles are great.
There were no strange smells in the room, which was also great!
As Su Ying ate her noodles, Fu Zheng, with a racing heart, cut fruit in the kitchen. He hadn't expected Su Ying to actually come home with him and sit where he usually sat while eating.
He pinched his face hard, feeling a sting of pain.
This wasn't a dream!
All of this was real!
Fu Zheng grinned happily, the curve of his lips impossible to suppress.
After turning around and indulging in his joy for a long time, Fu Zheng finally controlled his inner excitement and brought the freshly made fruit salad to the living room.
"I don't have much to offer, so I just made this." He pushed the plate in front of Su Ying and then took out a box of toothpicks.
Su Ying looked at the beautifully arranged fruit salad and couldn't help but praise, "I didn't expect you could do things like this!"
"I grew up with my grandparents and learned some things occasionally."
"Are your parents usually very busy with work?" Su Ying guessed.
Fu Zheng nodded truthfully. "They were busy with their own affairs and rarely at home. So, they sent me to my grandparents' until I finished primary school and then took me back."
Su Ying was about to sigh with emotion, saying something about children from poor families having to grow up early, but she swallowed her words when she saw the watch on his wrist.
No!
He wasn't poor at all!
That watch was a limited edition, quite expensive.
Besides, if his family's financial situation was poor, he would definitely live very frugally. How could he rent such an expensive apartment? And the decoration in this room would cost at least a million!
Which landlord would be so generous as to rent out such a luxurious house?
It was clear that he hadn't told the truth.