A king-sized bed, a couple’s suite, and a discount…
Liang Zhiyi heard the female owner’s words and stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, her mind slowly catching up.
Did the female owner mistakenly think that she and Pei Chen were planning to get a room?!
Oh my God, they’re still so young, qaq…
The main issue was that they weren’t wearing their school uniforms today, so the female owner probably didn’t know they were students. She was still enthusiastically inviting them, “So, what do you think? Want to come in and take a look?”
The girl’s cheeks turned as red as a little tomato. Beside her, Pei Chen had already realized what was happening. His usually cool face quickly flushed with heat, and he cleared his throat twice:
“Sorry, we, we don’t need it.”
With that, he quickly led Liang Zhiyi away.
After walking a bit farther, they finally stopped.
The female owner’s words still lingered in the boy’s ears, and some specific images unconsciously flashed through his mind.
Even though Pei Chen usually didn’t think about such things, it was impossible for a teenage boy in his prime not to have any reaction at all.
He looked at Liang Zhiyi, with her dark hair and red lips, his mind tense, and a growing heat slowly climbed up in his chest, making his throat feel dry.
The two stood face to face, speechless for a moment, the atmosphere subtle and ambiguous.
After a while, the girl’s emotions calmed down a bit. She glanced up at him and changed the subject, “Can I have my phone back…?”
Pei Chen handed her phone back to her, lowered his lashes, and spoke, “That store might have moved. The map probably hasn’t been updated.”
“It’s okay. Let’s just go to another one.”
“So, what do you want to eat?”
“Hmm, I can’t think of anything right now. Is there a place nearby that you know well?”
Pei Chen asked if she’d be okay with eating noodles; he knew of a nearby noodle shop with great flavors.
Liang Zhiyi agreed, put her phone away, and let him lead the way.
They continued walking forward. As they crossed an intersection, a car approached from the right. The girl slowed her pace, carefully observing the surroundings. The next moment, Pei Chen moved to her right side, shielding her from the oncoming traffic.
The simple, natural gesture made her feel a warm sensation in her heart.
After a while, Pei Chen glanced at the side of the road, “We’re here.”
Liang Zhiyi looked up and saw a small sign that read “Lao Lin Noodle Shop.” She followed him inside. The place wasn’t big, with just five or six tables. A small TV hung on the wall. The décor was simple, but it was exceptionally clean and tidy.
The owner, who was wiping down a table, saw Pei Chen and smiled warmly, “Oh, Xiao Pei is here!”
The landlady looked like she was in her sixties, dressed plainly, with wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes as she smiled.
At the table near the kitchen door, the owner, who was kneading dough, also looked up when he heard the commotion and smiled at Pei Chen, saying, “It’s been a while since we last saw you, Xiao Pei…”
Pei Chen glanced at the couple, his eyes softening. “Uncle Lin, Auntie Lin, I’ve been too busy recently, so I haven’t had a chance to come by.”
The landlady noticed the young girl standing next to Pei Chen and smiled at them, saying, “Take a look at the menu and let me know what you’d like to eat. I’ll make it for you.”
Liang Zhiyi looked up at the menu on the wall and asked Pei Chen, “What’s good here? Can you recommend something to me?”
“The signature dish here is the braised pig trotter noodles. Would you like to try it?”
She hesitated for a moment, “Is it very fatty?”
The landlady smiled and said, “Our pig trotters are especially delicious. Xiao Pei orders them every time he comes. I guarantee the meat won’t be greasy at all.”
Liang Zhiyi nodded and agreed, so Pei Chen ordered two bowls of pig trotter noodles. Then, they found a spot to sit down, facing each other. Pei Chen looked at her and said, “This is just a little family-run shop. It might be different from the places you usually eat.”
Liang Zhiyi glanced around and smiled, “Not at all, I think this place is really nice. It feels especially warm and cozy.”
At that moment, the warm light overhead cast a homey glow around them.
While waiting for the noodles, Liang Zhiyi took out her phone and casually scrolled through it. She pursed her lips and said, “Pei Chen, did you know you’re really popular right now?”
Pei Chen: “?”
She opened the forum from the recent interschool basketball game and showed it to him, “There are a lot of students, especially girls, who say they love watching you play. They’re all praising your skills and saying how handsome you are. They’re all totally smitten by you.”
“……”
Smitten? What, is he a sorcerer or something?
She added jealously, “Of course, you’re the type that girls just naturally like.”
“……”
Seeing her jealous expression, a ripple stirred in his heart, and he softly replied, “Don’t pay attention to that.”
In truth, none of the others really mattered to him.
Pei Chen gazed at her.
Hearing his words, the girl looked down at her phone and smiled quietly.
Of course, she wouldn’t pay attention to them, because she was the one closest to Pei Chen right now.
As she casually scrolled through her feed, she noticed that her cousin had posted a video of a little cat named “Cookie.” The kitten was white and soft, all fluffy, with eyes like crystal grapes—so cute it could melt anyone’s heart.
She showed the video to Pei Chen, “Cookie is so adorable. You haven’t seen it in a while, right…”
Pei Chen watched the video, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, “It’s grown a bit.”
“Yeah, I haven’t been to the café much lately either. But since you’ve been pretty busy recently, how about we go see Biscuit together after the basketball tournament is over?”
“Okay.”
After a while, the landlady brought over two bowls of noodles and, seeing the two of them together, teased, “This is the first time Xiao Pei has brought a girl here. Is she your girlfriend?”
This was the second time tonight that someone had mistaken them for a couple.
Pei Chen cleared his throat and hurriedly explained, “No, we’re just classmates.”
But to his surprise, the girl propped her chin on her hand, smiled sweetly at the landlady, and said, “He’s lying. I am.”
Pei Chen: “?”
The landlady looked at her and laughed, “What a pretty girl, so full of life.”
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Auntie Lin.”
After the landlady left, Pei Chen looked at the mischievous girl, his heart slightly unsettled, and said helplessly, “Stop messing around.”
Liang Zhiyi chuckled, then lowered her head and took in the aroma of the pig trotter noodles in front of her, her attention immediately captured, “Wow, it smells amazing.”
This shop was famous in the area for its braised dishes. The pig trotter had been deboned in advance and slowly simmered in a secret blend of spices, making it tender and rich, with just the right balance of fat and lean meat, all soaked in flavorful broth.
The noodles were hand-pulled, boiled, and then placed in a rich bone broth. Slices of pig trotter and greens were added on top, and a final ladle of braised sauce was poured over to finish the dish.
She took a bite, and Pei Chen asked her how it tasted. She nodded enthusiastically, her head bobbing up and down. It was her first time tasting such delicious pig trotter noodles.
Pei Chen mentioned that all the noodles at this shop were excellent. Liang Zhiyi was surprised, “You’ve eaten here many times before?”
“I’ve known about this place since elementary school.”
“For that long…”
Pei Chen lowered his head and said softly, “I used to pass by here on my way to elementary school. The first time I came was with my dad. He loved the braised pig trotters from this shop.”
That time, Pei Chen had scored full marks in every subject on his final exams, so Pei Yongxia had brought him here as a reward to eat pig trotter noodles.
Even after Pei Yongxia became paralyzed and could no longer come, Pei Chen would still occasionally stop by to get braised dishes to take back home for him, gradually growing fond of this place himself.
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi understood, “No wonder you seem so familiar with the owners.”
As they ate their noodles, the landlady came over and brought them two bottles of drinks. “Xiao Pei, you’re in your second year of high school now, right?”
“Yes.”
“How is it? Is studying hard? But since you’re so good at it, I bet it’s not much of a problem, right?”
“It’s not too bad. How have you both been lately?”
“……”
Liang Zhiyi watched as Pei Chen chatted with the landlady. It was the first time she had seen him so relaxed, both in his expression and posture. The smile on his face was natural and easy.
She had never seen this side of Pei Chen before.
He seemed so warm, without any trace of the usual aloofness, and without any defenses or resistance against the world. He looked just like a sunny boy-next-door.
She couldn’t help but stare in a bit of a daze.
After chatting for a bit, the landlady smiled and said she wouldn’t disturb them, letting them enjoy their meal. She walked over to her husband, who was kneading dough, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Are you tired? Do you want to take a break? I can handle it.”
The owner smiled at her as he continued kneading the dough, “I’m not tired. You should sit and rest. Just get me a piece of plum candy.”
“Look at you, already grown up and still so fond of candy…”
The landlady peeled a piece of candy and placed it in his mouth, her eyes filled with happiness.
Watching the old couple’s interaction, Liang Zhiyi felt like she was being fed a spoonful of “dog food”. “The boss and the landlady really have a great relationship.”
Pei Chen looked at them, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said quietly, “Yes, they’ve always had a good relationship.”
He had never seen his parents like that, not once from his childhood to now.
This kind of life seemed so distant from him, something he couldn’t even imagine.
Liang Zhiyi sighed, “Running a small shop like this, staying with the person you love—there’s nothing more blissful than that.”
Pei Chen was slightly shaken by her words.
She, a young lady from a wealthy family, didn’t place much importance on material things and actually longed for such a simple and ordinary life?
His heart was gently touched.
When they finished their noodles, Pei Chen offered to pay, but when he went to settle the bill, the landlady insisted that their meal was on the house tonight.
Pei Chen was a bit embarrassed and insisted on paying, but the owner came out from the kitchen, smiling broadly, “This is the first time Xiao Pei has brought a female classmate to eat here. We have to treat you.”
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