Gu Ya and Ye Ying each brought two dishes, making two trips back and forth. Finally, Wu Chuyang placed a plate of boiled sliced pork in chili sauce and a plate of honey cucumber on the table. The six dishes filled the table.
Wu Chuyang invited everyone to sit down and smiled apologetically, saying, "Usually, it's just Ye Ying and me, so a small dining table is enough. It looks a bit crowded now."
Youyou smiled and said, "More people make it livelier, hehe. Right, big brother!" As she spoke, she nudged Gu Ya, almost pushing him onto Ye Ying.
Gu Ya smiled awkwardly and glared at Youyou, lowering his head.
Liu Feng quickly added, "This is what life is like."
Seeing that the atmosphere was suitable, Wu Chuyang said, "Let's eat quickly and try my cooking."
After tasting the dishes, everyone's conversation also opened up.
Wu Chuyang, Gu Ya, and Liu Feng started chatting about city matters, such as urban development, future opportunities, and mech defense teams.
Girls generally don't enjoy these topics, so Youyou and Ye Ying huddled together watching holographic videos.
As they were engrossed, Youyou suddenly let out a complaint, "Oh! Sister Ye Ying, your bracelet needs replacing. The video is so choppy."
Ye Ying smiled slightly and said softly, "It'll do for now."
Unexpectedly, Youyou boldly declared, "My big brother just made money, let him buy you a new one!"
Gu Ya quickly tugged at Youyou's sleeve and reprimanded her in a low voice, "What are you doing? You just got money and you're showing off. How are we supposed to live later?"
Ye Ying lowered her head shyly, unsure of what to say.
Youyou turned her head away stubbornly and said, "Big brother, you're so stingy! What's wrong with buying your ... female friend a bracelet?"
Youyou then turned back and persuaded Ye Ying in a friendly tone, "Right, Sister Ye Ying, hehe. My big brother's motorcycle patent fee just came through, it's a lot of money!"
Gu Ya slapped his forehead and muttered, "What a waste!"
Wu Chuyang smiled and said, "Ye Ying, Youyou means well. Accept it."
Ye Ying pursed her lips and said shyly, "Thank you then. I'll definitely pay you back when I have money later."
Youyou quickly smiled and said, "We're family now, what money are we talking about! Big brother, you take Sister Ye Ying to buy it tomorrow, haha!"
Wu Chuyang, Liu Feng, and Youyou burst into laughter. Only Gu Ya and Ye Ying lowered their heads, their faces as red as freshly roasted iron disks.
As they were leaving, Wu Chuyang stopped Gu Ya and said with a low smile, "Little Gu, I'm entrusting Ye Ying to you from now on."
Gu Ya's eyes widened, and he looked at Wu Chuyang in disbelief, asking, "What happened?"
Wu Chuyang smiled and said, "I've been assigned a mission to guard another city for a while. I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow."
Gu Ya was even more astonished and said anxiously, "Why didn't you tell me earlier, Instructor Wu? I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow to see you off."
Instructor Wu waved his hand and said, "There will be opportunities later."
"Gu Ya, I haven't had time to talk to you properly, but I can feel your heart. You are a very good young man, and I think highly of you," Wu Chuyang said, giving Gu Ya a heavy punch on the shoulder.
Gu Ya felt the weight of the punch and nodded emphatically, saying, "Don't worry, Instructor Wu. When you return, I will definitely make you see me in a new light."
"Still calling me instructor, that's too formal. Call me big brother from now on!" Wu Chuyang looked at Gu Ya with hope.
Gu Ya smiled and said, "Okay, Brother Wu!"
......
The next morning, Gu Ya was woken up by Youyou and urged to change into new clothes, dress up neatly, and rush out of the house.
"You behave yourself! Don't come back home if you don't make Sister Ye Ying happy!" Youyou stood at the door with her hands on her hips, admonishing him angrily.
Gu Ya smiled helplessly and scratched his head, saying, "I wonder who's in charge in this family."
On the way to Wu Chuyang's apartment complex, Gu Ya kept taking deep breaths, desperately trying to stay calm.
In this way, this could be considered his first date with Ye Ying.
*Hoo!* The thought of the word "date" made Gu Ya's heart pound uncontrollably.
It's not a date, it's not a date, it's just simply accompanying Ye Ying to buy a communication bracelet, yes!
When Gu Ya arrived at Ye Ying's neighborhood, she was already waiting at the main entrance.
The morning light was perfect, and the breeze was gentle.
From a distance, the wind gently caressed Ye Ying's long black hair, and even her small, light blue floral dress danced merrily in the wind.
Ye Ying stood there quietly, like a newly opened flower, exuding the sweet scent of youth.
Gu Ya took another deep breath, straightened his body, and walked up quickly, greeting Ye Ying with a smile.
Ye Ying turned her head to see Gu Ya, tilted her head slightly, and gave Gu Ya a sweet smile.
Her appearance was like Rei Ayanami from Eva, even sweeter.
Gu Ya's face instantly flushed. Steady yourself, stay calm, don't panic...
"Let's go!" Gu Ya said briskly.
"Mm." Ye Ying nodded.
Gu Ya and Ye Ying got into a hovering taxi and sat in the back.
"Dear tenant, hello. This trip is provided by 'FastPass' Taxi Company. You can tell me any needs via voice command," a gentle AI voice came through.
"To the appliance city in Trade Zone 16," Gu Ya said calmly.
The unmanned hovering vehicle began to ascend steadily, accelerating slowly towards its destination.
In this self-driving hovering vehicle, the atmosphere gradually became more serene. The two of them didn't talk much, quietly sensing each other's feelings.
Gu Ya felt the air was getting a little hot.
The gentle AI voice announced, "System detects your body temperature has risen to 37.1 degrees Celsius, heart rate 121. Would you like to change destination to the hospital?"
Gu Ya's heart skipped a beat.
"System detects you..."
"Please stop talking!"
Gu Ya was flustered the entire way, desperately suppressing the frenzy within him.
Ye Ying seemed to have sensed Gu Ya's heartbeat, and remained silent throughout the journey, watching the skyscrapers rapidly receding outside the car window.
Finally, they reached their destination. Gu Ya quickly paid the fare, and the two of them got out of the car.
"This store is the largest and has the most complete product range," Gu Ya said as he walked ahead.
Ye Ying softly replied "Mm" and followed Gu Ya into the appliance store, which was over 20 stories high.
The interior space was larger than expected, with many beautifully displayed counters spaced far apart. The aisles were wide, and the environment was very clean.
Bionic service robots leisurely cleaned the floor, and ultra-miniature mechs flew by in the air, delivering samples to customers.
This store gave Gu Ya the feeling that he was here to enjoy himself.
Since it wasn't a weekend, there weren't many customers in the store.
Gu Ya and Ye Ying entered the elevator and went up to the 15th floor, the communication bracelet level. After browsing, they finally arrived at a store counter.
"I checked all night. Regardless of cost-effectiveness or performance, the products in this store are the best on the market," Gu Ya said casually.
Ye Ying nodded.
A female salesperson greeted them with a smile, saying, "Hello, handsome. Oh my, your girlfriend is so beautiful!"
Gu Ya shuddered and quickly steadied himself, saying, "Uh, I'd like to know about the 'XiMi 16' bracelet."
"Certainly, handsome." The salesperson smiled and tapped on the holographic display, starting a professional explanation. When she reached the camera function, she specifically said, "Our bracelet has absolute encryption. Even the top hackers cannot access your and your girlfriend's privacy."
Gu Ya smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, just this one."
"Okay, this model is 4500 White Star Coins."
Upon hearing the price, Ye Ying quickly tugged Gu Ya's sleeve and whispered, "It's a bit expensive. How about we look at other options?"
Gu Ya smiled and generously comforted her, "It's alright."
After paying, Ye Ying touched her new and old bracelets together, and the information was automatically transferred.
Gu Ya smiled and said, "There, hurry and try it on. By the way, give me the old bracelet."
Ye Ying obediently handed the old bracelet to Gu Ya. She had heard Gu Ya say that he could extract parts from the bracelet and use them for mechanics.
"Thank you. I'll definitely pay you back when I have money," Ye Ying said.
Gu Ya smiled faintly and said, "We'll talk about the future. The day is still young, let me treat you to a meal. I know a good place with excellent dishes."
"Okay," Ye Ying replied with a sweet smile.
Looking at the smiling Ye Ying, Gu Ya didn't know why, but his heart, which had been pounding all the way, finally calmed down.
He let out a long sigh inwardly. It wasn't that difficult to get along with her after all.