He Yao thought to herself, When did you become so gossipy? Asking about everything, whether it's appropriate or not, and whether it suits your status.
Don't forget you have a girlfriend. Please maintain some distance from me.
"I don't think I need to report my private matters to you, do I? Let's make it clear, I'm broke. I can't afford anything other than food stalls and roadside stands. You can pick between those two."
Zhan Jingrui could tell her tone was distant. Recalling the gentle "Tang Gong" from earlier, he felt a pang of annoyance at the contrast.
"When you treat others to a meal, you go to a Western restaurant, but when you treat me, you say you have no money. Are you judging people by their appearance, or do you have a problem with me?"
He Yao turned to look at him, "Who did I treat to a Western restaurant?"
"Is your memory that bad? You've forgotten what happened just a few days ago? That day you were with our company's Tang Gong..."
"Oh, you mean that day. That wasn't..."
The explanation was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back.
What business was it of his? He was really meddling.
"I only treated you to a packet of instant noodles, so isn't a roadside meal enough to repay you? Besides, you eat delicacies every day. What's wrong with a change of taste? If you really dislike it, go home and eat. You don't lack this meal from me."
She was quite impolite.
But he couldn't help himself; sometimes, being retorted by her made him feel refreshed.
Zhan Jingrui: "If Xu Zheng saw how you're treating me, what do you think he'd say?"
He Yao: "Let him say whatever he wants. Do you think I'm afraid of him just because he's my boss? To be honest, I don't even care if he's my boss. If he really pushes me, I'll fire him before he fires me."
He didn't know where her anger was coming from. Zhan Jingrui was completely speechless, thoroughly rebuffed by her.
The car drove forward for more than half an hour. A bustling food stall by the roadside, emitting wisps of steam.
He Yao waved her hand, "This is it. You find a parking spot, and I'll go down and order."
"Still no spice, no onions, no cilantro, right?"
For some reason, Zhan Jingrui couldn't feel distant from He Yao.
Despite not seeing each other for many years, they both clearly remembered each other's preferences and many details from the past.
Just like now, things would just slip out.
Although he realized his mistake right after speaking, the words were already out. He Yao couldn't take them back and could only self-deceptively pray that Zhan Jingrui hadn't heard.
She scurried towards the stall owner.
When Zhan Jingrui returned after parking, she was still choosing dishes. He didn't join the crowd but found an empty seat.
He Yao ordered salt and pepper corn, fried intestines, salted egg yolk baked shrimp, and salt and pepper lizardfish for him. She ordered a bowl of mala tang for herself.
Then she returned and asked him if he wanted to drink.
Zhan Jingrui countered by asking if she could drive.
"I asked if you wanted to drink, why are you asking if I can drive?"
"If you can drive, I'll drink. If not, I won't."
"Then don't drink."
He Yao ran back and asked the owner to pack a plate of salt-baked edamame for her.
The dishes hadn't arrived yet, and they weren't drinking, so it felt awkward to just sit there. They decided to shell edamame.
Speaking of edamame, it reminded her of the first time Zhan Jingrui was introduced to eating them.
He always felt that the fuzzy pods would be irritating in his stomach, and Zhan Jingrui refused to eat them.
He Yao shelled them into a bowl and, pinching her lips, forced some down him.
Discovering the good taste, later on, when they were tired from doing homework at home, they would always order edamame with their takeout.
Zhan Jingrui didn't know if she did it deliberately or not. Recalling the past, he found it hard to start eating.
He sat there quietly, neither eating nor talking to He Yao, staring blankly at the busy owner.
He Yao glanced at him from time to time, thinking it was a shame he wasn't acting in an idol drama.
How high must their parents'颜值 have been to give birth to such a perfect face?
The person who married him would be incredibly fortunate, and they probably wouldn't argue much in their lifetime.
Every time she got angry, seeing his face would make all harsh words disappear.
They each had their own thoughts, and neither revealed them.
The owner quickly brought the first dish. He Yao pushed it towards him, "Yours."
Zhan Jingrui picked up his chopsticks and started eating. It tasted the same as before.
He had to admit that Sūchéng was much better than Nánchéng in this regard; the food really suited his taste.
He Yao was quite generous, ordering so many dishes for him.
Zhan Jingrui took a few bites of each dish and was full before even finishing half of them.
Seeing He Yao hadn't started eating, he couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you eating?"
He Yao said, "I told you I'm broke. These dishes are for you. I'll just eat my mala tang."
"..."
Zhan Jingrui couldn't help but curse her internally.
Was it necessary to pretend to be so poor? They had no relationship now. Even if he wanted to give her money, there was no justifiable reason.
"I only treated you to a bucket of instant noodles, and you're treating me to so much. It makes me look like I'm bullying you. How about I pay for today's meal?"
He Yao waved her hand, "I said I'm treating you, so I'm treating you. There's no need."
Just then, the owner's wife brought her mala tang. He Yao blew away the red oil on top and started eating.
"You eat yours. Don't feel burdened. No matter how poor I am, I can afford a meal like this."
Zhan Jingrui pushed his chopsticks away and looked at her appetizing bowl of mala tang.
"But I can't eat anymore."
He Yao looked disgusted, "You can't eat this little?"
"Yes, isn't it a waste? I'll pay for whatever I waste."
"No need. If you can't finish it, I will."
As she spoke, He Yao reached out with her chopsticks and picked up a few pieces, placing them into her own bowl.
"After eating, I'll be going straight back. I don't owe you anything now, do I? You should leave first."
Reason told Zhan Jingrui that He Yao was right. After eating his fill, what reason was there to linger? It was time to go.
But his feet were stubbornly refusing to move.
"How's your dormitory? Are you still wearing those clothes? You haven't moved back, have you?"
He Yao had been watching him eat the whole time, feeling quite hungry.
She hadn't eaten lunch and was indeed quite hungry now, so she answered his questions while eating.
"No one's cleaning it, so the dormitory is unusable for now. You told me not to collect the clothes back then, so how could I ask for them afterwards? I don't want them anymore, and I won't be moving back."
"Then where are you staying now?"
"A hotel. Xu Zheng said he'll reimburse the hotel expenses for these few days. But it's not a long-term solution. If I hadn't accompanied you to play chess today, I would have been looking for a place. I'll stay one more night and then go out to find a place to live tomorrow."
"Rent a place, by yourself?"
"Nonsense, who else? Live with Luo Jia again? Didn't you notice, we're not on the same wavelength."
Indeed, they were not on the same wavelength.
But Zhan Jingrui couldn't quite figure out what wavelength He Yao was on now.
He couldn't see through her.
Sometimes he felt her life was as simple as a blank piece of paper, and sometimes he felt that was just a superficial phenomenon.